Injury, illness kept him from service
Remembering the sacrifices of those with SC connections who served their country 100 years ago.
Rifleman Charles SCANNELL, No 21897
Charles Scannell, known to family as Charlie, was born on May 20, 1892 at Kerrytown near Timaru, the seventh son of Daniel and Ellen (ne´e Foley) Scannell, of Lyalldale. He was baptised on June 5 in the Temuka Roman Catholic parish. Charles was educated at Kerrytown Convent School, before the the family moved to the St Andrews District in the early 1900s. Prior to enlistment, Charles was working as a farmhand at Lyalldale and Waimate.
Charles Scannell contributed to the war effort from the outset – in September 1914 he gave 10 shillings to the Home Relief Fund for the Poor of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium. He was joined by his father, mother and brother Joseph. And in July 1915 Charles, father Dan and brother Joe all contributed to the Lyalldale Red Cross Fund. Charles was a successful candidate in the examination in first aid to the injured at Lyalldale in February 1916.
He and brother Michael both enlisted with the 16th Reinforcements on May 3, 1916. Charles was in good physical condition and already belonged to the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment. He named his mother, Mrs Ellen Scannell, as his next-of-kin.
A social to bid farewell to the pair and three other locals was held in the Lyalldale School on July 20. On August 21 he embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade per the Mokoia, destined for Plymouth, England. It was on this journey that his troubles began when, on October 12, he broke his thigh. He was taking off a boot while attending parade and fell into the hold, feet foremost (the cover was not in place). His parents received word of his injury and admission to hospital on October 19. A court found Scannell’s injury was the result of a common accident whilst on duty and was satisfied there was no skylarking. A few days later he was admitted to the military hospital at Dakar, seriously ill and suffering from his fractured thigh. On December 16, at Dakar, it was reported he was still in hospital, his condition was unsatisfactory, and it was feared a long time must elapse (probably some months) before he would be able to bend the limb or use it freely to support himself. A response was awaited from New Zealand Headquarters as to whether he should be sent to the United Kingdom.
Charles Scannell was, however, being invalided home when he died at a port of call - Durban, South Africa - having contracted an illness. His was one of four deaths from sickness recorded on casualty list 585 issued in May 1917. He died on May 28 at the Drill Hall Section No. 3 of the General Hospital in Durban, of acute nephritis (uraemia) contracted while on active service, aged 25. A large circle of friends conveyed their sympathy to his grieving family. Charles was buried in the Durban (Ordnance Road) Military Cemetery, Kwazulu, Natal, South Africa.
Older brother Michael was killed in action on June 7 – just 11 days after Charles died. Their names are inscribed on their parents’ memorial stone in the Timaru Cemetery. ‘‘Dear Charlie, how we miss you in your grave so far away’’ was the message in an In Memoriam notice in The Timaru Herald of May 28, 1918. For some years, his parents and siblings inserted an In Memoriam notice in the New Zealand Tablet.
A photo of Michael and Charles in uniform was printed in the Star of July 19, 1917. His British War Medal was despatched to his father, and the plaque and scroll to his mother in 1924. With his serious injury and fatal illness, Charles saw no action. Three other brothers - Francis, Jeremiah (Jerry; fit only for Home Service) and Joseph (Joe) - were called up for service in the war. Two nephews of Charles served in World War II - Patrick Louis Scannell, who was killed in action in 1944 in Italy, and Pte John Joseph Scannell, who died in 1943 and is buried in Timaru. The name of Rifleman Charles Scannell is recorded on the Lyalldale War Memorial, the Timaru Sacred Heart Basilica Memorial, the St Andrews War Memorial and the Timaru Memorial Wall.
– Teresa Scott