1903 Pattern water bottle : Lieutenant Colonel C H Green, 2/2 and 2/11 Battalions, AIF

Places
Accession Number REL23389
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Personal Equipment
Physical description Cork, Cotton webbing, Enamelled steel, Leather, Plastic
Maker F.S. Ltd.
Place made Australia
Date made 1943
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Description

Khaki cloth covered Australian Army issue, 1903 Pattern water bottle. The bottle is of blue enamelled steel and has a cork plug secured by a length of twine. A leather bottle carrier is attached by a pair of rings to a leather strap. The strap has a buckle for adjustment and a cotton webbing shoulder piece.

History / Summary

Charles Hercules Green was born in December 1919 at Grafton, NSW. Despite serious injuries suffered when he was kicked in the face by a horse at age 11, he began working on his father's dairy farm in 1933, and soon joined the local 41 (Militia) Battalion. By the outbreak of war in 1939, he held the rank of lieutenant in the Militia, and in October he transferred to the AIF, holding the same rank. Posted to the 2/2 Battalion, which reached the Middle East in early 1940, his foot was burned by an upturned stove, and complications from this injury prevented him from participating in the battalion's early engagements in North Africa. Rejoining his unit in Greece in March 1941, Green, now a captain, survived the Allied retreat, and led a group of men in a hazardous escape to Palestine via Turkey. Returning to Australia in 1942, 2/2 Battalion was soon sent to New Guinea, while Green, suffering from illness and an injured foot, was hospitalised for some months. As major and second-in-command, he rejoined the unit in 1943, proceeding to New Guinea the following year. In March 1945, promoted acting lieutenant colonel, he took command of 2/11 Battalion, becoming, at the age of 25, the youngest Australian battalion commander of the war. For his leadership of the unit in the fighting around Wewak, Green was awarded the DSO. Post war, having trouble adjusting to peacetime life, he returned to Militia service as commander of his old 41 Battalion, and eventually joined the regular army in 1949. In mid 1950 he was taken from Staff College to lead 3 RAR, which was then preparing for active service in Korea. He took command in September 1950, and led the unit in a series of highly successful actions against North Korean forces, but died of wounds caused by shellfire while he was asleep in his tent near the Tokchon River on 31 October. A decisive and energetic leader, Charlie Green was revered by his men, and considered to be one of Australia's finest battlefield commanders.
On 23 July 2019, Lieutenant Colonel Green was posthumously honoured by the government of South Korea through the award of The Order of Military Merit, Eulji, the nation's second highest military honour. The award was presented to Green's grandson, Dr Alexander Norman, in Seoul by the Prime Minister of the Republic of South Korea, His Excellency Lee Nak-yon.