Baird, Charles
PLACE BIRTH
China Camp, Bloomfield, near Cooktown QLD
OCCUPATION
Miner
PLACE ENLISTMENT
Cooktown QLD
DATE ENLISTMENT
5/05/1915
NEXT OF KIN
(brother) Norman Baird, c/o Charles Patching, Solicitor, Cooktown QLD
REGIMENT 1
5th Light Horse
REGIMENT 2
11th Light Horse
RANK
Private
CAMPAIGN 1
Gallipoli
CAMPAIGN 2
Middle East
DATE DISCHARGED
18/04/1919
OTHER INFO
1914/1915 Star No.4543; British War Medal No.6870; Victory Medal No.6841
STORY OUTLINE
Charles Baird embarked 17/09/1915 from Brisbane on HMAT Hymettus A1 to Alexandria Egypt and was admitted to Convalescent Camp at Port Said suffering from enteric (typhoid fever) on 28/12/1915. On 21/01/1916 he was returned from Cairo to Melbourne Australia on HMAT Commonwealth A73 arriving 29/02/1916 for '3 months change'. Pronounced fit for duty on 1/04/1916 he embarked once again from Sydney on RMS Malwa on 22/07/1916 arriving Egypt on 24/08/1916. Taken on duty for 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment and during September and October he was sent to Isolation Camp at Moascar before being transferred in late October to Serapeum in the Sinai Egypt. Between 10/08/1917 and 24/08/1917 he attended School of Instruction 29th Hotchkiss Gunner Course at Zeitoun Egypt and then to Palestine in March 1918. During November and December he was hospitalised with trench fever and malaria and returned to Suez in January 1919 where he embarked 26/01/1919 from Suez Egypt aboard HMAT Demosthenes A64 for Australia arriving Fremantle 2/03/1919. Charles Baird appears to have disappeared from sight but in 1959 the Department of Social Services discovered that he has changed his name to William Roberts.
SERVICE NO
1234A
