DEAN, Charles Herbert

When Charles joined the First Contingent of The Kurrajongs at Moree in January 1916 his enlistment papers recorded that he was born at Moree and that he was a twenty three year old Saddler who had been an apprentice at Inverell.  He had served eighteen months with the Inverell Cadets and was a member of the Moree Rifle Club.  His saddler’s shop was in the main street of Moree.

He became a member of the 33rd Battalion, C Company which trained at Armidale and Rutherford prior to sailing from Australia in May 1916 on HMAT A74 Marathon.  After nine weeks at sea the Battalion arrived in England where further training was undertaken at Salisbury Plain prior to being sent to France in November.  During March 1917, Charles was ill and returned to England where he was admitted to 3rd Australian General Hospital at Brighton.  He returned to France five months later.  He received treatment at a Casualty Clearing Station in March 1918 and was wounded again in August which saw him evacuated to hospital at Chatham, England with a gunshot wound to the thigh. 

Private Charles Dean returned to Australia in December 1918 and following his discharge returned to Moree where he was entertained a Welcome Home and presented with a kit bag.  In 1920 he married Lillian Masterson.  His son Colin believed Charles to have been the first man to come forward to enlist with the Kurrajongs at Moree.

Charles died in January 1958.