Charles Hilder Dunne (1898-1977)

1917

Wyndham City Libraries

text

eng

Charles Hilder Dunne

913

John Dunne
Father
Glenluce
Williamstown Road
West Footscray

R.A.G.A. Barracks,
Queenscliff, Victoria

Single

Not Known

No.913  Charles Hilder Dunne
Charles Hilder Dunne was born to Patrick John Dunne (died 1924) and Ada Goodwin (died 1928) on 30 November 1898. He had four brothers:

• John William
• Rupert Arthur 
• William Joseph - Gunner
• Albert Edward 

and four sisters:

• Lilian Ada
• Elsie May 
• Agnes Maud 
• Jessie Mabel 

His brother William Joseph Dunne died on 2 October 1917 at Poperinge, West–Vlaanderen, Belgium aged 21.  Another brother Rupert Arthur Dunne returned to Australia on 15 June 1919. 

War Service
Charles enlisted into the Army at Melbourne, Victoria on 1 January 1917 at Queenscliff.  He was aged 19 years and 2 months and he was 5 feet and 10 inches tall.  Charles weighed 160 pounds and had a chest measurement of thirty four and a half to 38 and a half inches.  His complexion was listed as fresh, with hazel eyes and brown hair. All of this was recorded at the time of his enlistment. His parents signed a consent form for him to go abroad with the 36th (Australian) Heavy Artillery Group on 26 December 1916.  His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 11 May 1917, and disembarked in Devonport on 20 July 1917, then travelled from Devonport to Southampton, arriving on 31 October 1917.

He was with the 36th Australian Heavy Artillery Group and was a Gunner.  He was taken on strength of 55th Australian batteries and arrived in France on 7 November 1917.  He was stationed there between 1917 and 1918. Charles took leave in France from 27 November 1918 to 11 December 1918.  His records indicate that he was invalided to England on 15 January 1919, suffering a venereal period of 57 days to the 21 February 1919.

On 4 March 1919, he marched out to No 1 Command Depot, Sutton Very, England and then marched in from Parkhouse England the next day. He returned to Australia per Medic on 10 April 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on 30 June 1919.  

Post War
Charles married Mary Florence Phippen in Victoria on 27 October 1920.  They had one daughter, Marie Joyce born on 29 November 1925, according to Family Tree records in ancestry.com.au, but there are no birth records to substantiate this.

In the Mirror (Perth, Western Australia) 16 June 1923, p.1,  it advised that he was granted a decree nisi against Florence on the grounds of her misconduct with Walter George and the jury assessed damages at 500 pounds. In 1924, he applied for a divorce given the story of Florence and Walter's involvement with each other.

Charles married again in 1930 in Perth to Clara Cox Brady. Electoral Roll details from 1931 to 1972 advised that he was living at 30 Barlee Street, Perth as a Blacksmith with Clara.  He is still living there in 1977, a year after Clara passed away. Clara died on 3 March, 1976 in Subiaco, Western Australia.

Charles died in Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia on 6 May 1977, he was 78 years old.

Medals & Entitlements:

• British War Medal
• Victory Medal

Ancestry
http://search.ancestry.com.au/

The AIF project
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/index.html

National Archives of Australia http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/

RSL Virtual War Memorial http://www.rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/88340

Trove
Harvard/Australian citation 1923 'LOSES WIFE.', Mirror (Perth, WA : 1921 - 1956), 16 June, p. 1, viewed 5 March, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article77760143

British War Medal

Victory Medal