The heroism of a “great” soldier from Uranquinty who fought in WW1 is on display at the Museum of the Riverina to mark Remembrance Day, 100 years after his tragic death in Palestine.
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Trooper Charlie Stone’s time in the war was cut short and ultimately devastating. Deployed in 1917, he succumbed to Malaria in Damascus on October 29, 1918 – less than a fortnight before the armstice was signed.
On display are a selection of personal artifacts including letters, postcards and a souvenir book about Jerusalem.
His niece Pauline McGilvray donated the belongings and hoped people who visited the exhibition would tell stories of her uncle for generations to come.
“It means a lot that his memory is here. His family thought he was coming home and they were very pleased and excited,” she said.
“His father took the death very badly and he died in 1919, which was very sad because he felt like my uncle – his son – was coming home.
“If people can walk away from the exhibition just remembering what the Stone family did, that would mean a lot to us all.”
At the time of leaving for the war, Mr Stone was 21-years-old. He embarked from Sydney aboard the A15 Port Sydney in May, 1917, bound for battle field in the Middle East.
Two months later, he transferred to the Railway Construction Unit 116th Company, before being hospitalised in April, 1918 for pyrexia.
On display as part of He Belonged to Wagga, museum curator Michelle Maddison said the exhibition was opened as a way to “commemorate the approximately 2000 men and women who had something to do with Wagga in World War 1”.
“In Charles’ collection, the most poignant piece is the wallet and his possessions in that wallet that were sent home to his mother Jane,” she said.
“It includes things like a little token from Uranquinty that has his name in it and a letter from his cousin in Sydney which talks about how he got sick on the sail from Australia and still fed the fishers.”
Charlie Stone’s effects and possessions from WW1 will be on display at the Museum of the Riverina from November 11.
The Daily Advertiser has prepared a guide to Remembrance Day and some of the services on across the region.
WAGGA
A Remembrance Day Ceremony will be held at Victory Memorial Gardens starting at 10.30am with the Ode of Remembrance to be recited at the 11th hour.
HOLBROOK
A service will be held from 11am to 11:30am at the Holbrook Ten Mile Creek Gardens. Wet weather will see the service held in the Holbrook Shire Hall.
TEMORA
Reefs will be laid for a service at the Temora Cenotaph on Loftus Street from 10:45am.
