Born at Newport, Fifeshire Scotland. Enlisted at Perth 7 August 1916 age 27, cleaning contractor. Nok wife, Elizabeth Young at Bertley, Forrest St, Cottesloe. Embarked on A8 Argyllshire 9 November 1916. Awarded a Military Medal for an action in October 1917 and given leave in England. Returned to France and was killed in action 24 April 1918. Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France. After Charles’ death, Elizabeth returned to Bolgart in WA and in December 1918 the Military Medal was forwarded to her by registered mail for it to be presented to her at Bolgart Town Hall on New Years Day 1918. Service medals and award: Military Medal, BWM and VM. This is a unique situation where five men, all privates, Pte Solomon Littman 2403 (Gallipoli veteran died of wounds 18 May 1918) Gilbert McLennan 2690, James Holland 1924, Charles Bogie Young 3024 and Frederick Charles Hieden 2928, each received a Military medal for the same action. Charles Young was killed in action in April 1918. Citation recommendation passed forward 4 October 1917. ‘On 26 September 1917 during the attack on Zonnebeke Ridge, NE of Ypres, these men as Company runners did exceptionally good work carrying important messages to Battalion Headquarters, often under heavy shell and machine gun fire at great personal risk. Their courage and devotion to duty was conspicuous and their responsibility, that communication was kept with Coy and Battalion HQ never failed.’ Supplement No 30498 London Gazette 25 January 1918 and Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 95, 27 June 1918 page 1391, London Gazette 28 January 1918, pp. 1404-147. In August 1917, two of the named men, despite their not guilty plea, were found at a Court Martial guilty of desertion and sentenced; McLennan to five years and Holland to ten years in prison. For reasons not on file, the convictions were suspended or overturned and the sentences were never served.
