Charles Amos George Victor Petersen
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 27 Aug 1913 |
| Place of Birth | Bridgetown, Western Australia |
| Death | 30 Jan 1995, aged 81 |
| Place of Death | Gosnells, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 26 years, 2 months |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Wokalup, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Mother , Mrs. Alice Mary Petersen |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | WX571 |
| Date of Enlistment | 9 Nov 1939 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion |
| Post War Details | |
| Fate |
POW (Crete) Returned to Australia |
| Medals | 1939-45 Star |
Pre War
Electoral Roll entries: 1936 - 1937 Manjimup, farm hand;
War Service
Charles enlisted in the AIF at Harvey on 9 Nov 1939 and was allocated to the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion. On 7 Dec 1939 he and his unit embarked for the Ingleburn in NSW as part of the preparation for moving to Egypt. On 2 Mar 1940 he was seen by the camp dressing station and sent on with suspected mumps to the P. Henry Hospital which released him on 15 Mar 1940 with 5 further days 'No Duty'. )n 30 Mar 1940 the battalion was granted pre-embarkation leave, and on 20 Apr 1940 they embarked on HMT later HMHS Nevasa which sailed with Convoy US2 on the 22nd for Kantara on teh Suez Canal, disembarking there on 19 May 1940.
The battalion trained in both Palestine and Egypt before seeing combat withthe Italian forces at Bardia on 5 Jan 1941 before seeing action at Tobrulk and then Derna before being withdrawn to prepare for mvvement to Greece. On 10 Apr 1941 they embarked for Greece aboard SS Penland, disembarking in Athens on 12 Apr 1941. Sent to greece too late to do other than withdrw ahead of the stronger Gewrman units, they were evacuated on teh S Thurland Castle on the night of 25 Apr 1941 and landed at Suva on Crete.
discharged 20 Sep 1945
Post War
During 1953 Charles married Merle Constance Swan. Electoral Roll entries: 1949 at Eleventh road Armadale, labourer; 1954 - 1958 Southern River road, Gosnells, farmer ; 1972 - 1980 at Lot 1746 Bradley street, Southern River, farmer
Notes