The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Lieutenant Charles Basil Trevor Davey, 7th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on Lieutenant Charles Basil Trevor Davey, 7th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

Lieutenant Charles Basil Trevor Davey, 7th Battalion, AIF
KIA 27 April 1915

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Charles Basil Trevor Davey.

Charles Davey, known as “Charlie” was born on 16 July 1889, the second son of William and Mary Davey of Kerang, Victoria. His father, a native of Cornwall in England, was the proprietor and editor of the Kerang Observer. Davey was educated locally, and later qualified as an accountant and worked as foreman in the printing department of the Observer.

Charlie Davey had been keenly interested in the military from his childhood. In 1907, at the age of 18, he joined the Victorian Rangers as a private, and was promoted to corporal two years later. In 1912 the Compulsory Training Act came into force, and Davey received provisional commission, being formally appointed second lieutenant after passing his examination. The following year he became the senior officer at Kerang, and on 1 July 1914 he was gazetted as a first lieutenant.

Just over a month later war broke out in Europe, and Charlie Davey was among the first to enlist. He left with the 7th Battalion in the first contingent, writing letters home which his father published in the Observer. He seemed to enjoy the voyage on board the troopship Hororata, writing “we are now five weeks … since we left Broadmeadows, and the time seems as if it were only a week ago, I can scarcely think it is so long since we left Victoria. Time passes very quickly here as there is always something to do, so much moving about.”

The 7th Battalion was sent to Egypt to continue training in the desert. Lieutenant Davey wrote, “If anyone had told us this time last year that so many Australians would have spent this Christmas in Egypt, and that I should have devoted a portion of mine upon the top of the Great Pyramid, we should have looked upon such a great prophet with pity, if nothing else.” He was busy, but despite telling his father that “our camp life and work takes up all our time, there is not much left for sight-seeing”, in late February he and his friend Lieutenant Charles Denehy found time to visit parts of Cairo they had not yet seen.
From late February 1915, Charlie Davey began writing letters that he thought would be his last from Mena Camp in Egypt. Finally, on 3 April he wrote, “the mail closes in a quarter of an hour and I have no time to write a letter. We have just got orders to leave here tomorrow morning. We do not know where we are going, nor what might happen to us, but we will hope for the best. Good-bye all! Good-bye everybody in Kerang! Your loving Charles.”
Three weeks later the 7th Battalion landed on Gallipoli. Writing with a bullet wound to his arm, Charlie Davey’s mate, Charles Denehy, described what happened on the morning of 25 April, 1915.

We landed under a hail of shrapnel, and drove the Turks back. We won ridge after ridge, until we could advance no further. Charlie was on the right flank, and did excellent service; he and his men captured a Turkish gun. All day the fight went on … towards evening [Charlie] got the order to retire and dig in, which he did. All night we dug and repelled four attacks. Next morning—there was no chance of sleep during the night—we advanced again, having been reinforced. During that day … we had another hard time of it; in fact, the whole engagement was a fierce, terrible affair, with great odds against us. It was during the afternoon … that Charlie was hit, the bullet entering the thigh and travelling up the body. He called to his men, “Go on boys, get forward”, and they did. It was night when they got him to the beach, and transferred him to [the hospital ship]. He bore up well, and was quite bright and cheerful, but … internal haemorrhage set in, and he passed over peacefully and calmly. Next day he was buried at sea, one day out from Alexandria.

William Davey received many letters of condolence on the loss of his son, and published many of them in the newspapers. Gunner Clayton wrote, “I cannot tell you in writing how sorry I am for Charlie Davey, but if I do get the chance, the knowledge that the enemy has injured my friends will stir me on to avenge them.” Private Egan wrote, “Charlie Davey … was a boshter chap – one of the best.”
Today Charlie Davey is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial on Gallipoli. He was 25 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lieutenant Charles Basil Trevor Davey, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section