Soldier profiles

Name : PHILLIPS, CHARLES WILLIAM MATTHEW
Service Number : VX20175
Date of Birth : 20/10/1900
Place of Birth : NORTH FITZROY, VIC
Known as : BILL
Occupation on Enlistment :
Date of Enlistment : 31/05/1940
Locality on Enlistment : MAFFRA, VIC
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : PHILLIPS, G
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : CORPORAL
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) : BOOTMAKER (SYRIA)
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) :
Theatres of War : SYRIA, JAVA
Actions : DAMOUR (SYRIA)
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 22/07/1946
Date Died : 16/01/1958
Age at Death : 57
Community Roll of Honour : N/A
Buried Location / Memorial (P.O.W., D.O.W., K.I.A.) : N/A
K.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
D.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
M.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. (location/s) : JAVA
Died P.O.W. (date / details) : NO
P.O.W. Camps (details) : THAILAND
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : THAILAND
Honours and Gallantry : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0069 Missing & POW Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6213749 [OPEN], Barcode 1988301 [DIGITISED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial

Background : Served in World War I. At time of WW1 enlistment : 19 years & 1 month old (lied about age to enlist), height 5 feet & 7 inches, weight 121 pounds, fresh complexion, brown eyes, black hair, birthmark on abdomen, vaccination mark upper left arm, bootmaker. Married 30/08/1919 to Gertrude Charlotte Williams of Wolverton, England while in 15th Machine Gun Company. His father was a bricklayer.

Service record (World War 1).
02/12/1916 Enlisted (regimental no. 649) with 10/14 Machine Gun Company A.I.F.
11/12/1916 Private at Machine Gun Depot at Langwarrin?, Victoria.
12/01/1917 Private at Machine Gun Depot at Seymour, Victoria.
11/05/1917 Embarked Melbourne, Victoria on H.M.A.T.A11 Ascanius with 11th Reinforcements 15th Machine Gun Company.
20/07/1917 Disembarked in Devonport, Plymouth, England.
21/07/1917 Marched in to 15th Training Battalion ex Australia as Private.
New designation 5th Machine Gun Battalion.
24/02/1918 Admitted Grantham Military Hospital with tonsilitis.
30/01/1919 Marched into Australian Staging Camp Abancourt from England (originally 11/15th Machine Gun Company).
01/03/1919 Marched out to Australian Headquarters for duty (sts? 5th Machine Gun Battalion).
03/03/1919 Detached to Australian Army Ordnance Corps from 5th Machine Gun Battalion ex France.
07/02/1919 Taken on strength (5th Machine Gun Battalion) ex Australian Staging Camp Abancourt, France (originally 11/15th Machine Gun Company).
03/03/1919 Private detachment to Australian Army Ordnance Corps from 5th Machine Gun Battalion ex France.
07?/08/1919 Private to temporary Corporal.
07?/11/1919 Temporary Corporal to E.R. Corporal.
31/08/1920 Embarked for Australia as E.R. Corporal on H.M.T. Wahehe with his wife and 1 child.
21/09/1920 Next of kin advised returning to Australia.
21/10/1920 Disembarked in Australia from H.M.T. Wahehe.
29/11/1920 Will returned.
09/12/1920 Will returned (evidently duplicate).
14/12/1920 Discharged.
18/03/1922 Received British War Medal. Also 1914/15 Star no. NE and Victory Medal no. NE.