Western Mail, Thursday 16 March 1933, page 2

A Dinkum "Old Soldier."

Dear "Non-Com."-Does the Old Sixteenth possess 'the oldest living survivor in W.A. of the World War?

At Irishtown, a few miles from Northam, lives Charlie Hubbard. He has solved the housing problem, for he lives in a caravan on wheels and drives a flivver into town on pension day. Charlie was wounded on July 4, 1918, when his true age was 64 years, making him now within two years of 80!

Old Dad Hubbard never fell out of a route march, and never shirked a fatigue. He and his cobber, a mere youth of 57 years (dinkum age) once sulked for a week when they were left out of a raiding party that comprised 19 picked men.

However, to proceed. During the July 4 stunt Charlie and his youthful companion by some miracle got right into Vaire Wood slightly in advance of some of the boys. After dishing out a few Mills bombs to some panic-stricken Fritzes, Charlie and his cobber wandered over in the direction of Pear Trench, where Axford was even then winning his V.C., a bloody fight being in progress.

It was decided that a diversion should be created by Hubbard slinging a phosphorous bomb, to be followed by all their available Mills, and then in the best regulation manner a bayonet charge. What the outcome of this heroic attempt would have been is problematical, for it was frustrated by a Fritz N.C.O., who shot Charlie's mate stone dead, and put one through the old man's neck.

Did Fritz get away with it? No, sir, he did not. While he stood, evidently undecided which way the fight was going in the trench below, old Charlie pressed the trigger of his rifle from his recumbent position on the ground-and there was another vacancy in the Kaiser's army!

It was several hours before the old man was picked up by the stretcher-bearers, and even then he wanted them to take some other chap who was in his opinion, worse hit!

"Another Non-Com, No. 2," Northam.