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Private Charles Herbert Cane. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Private Charles Herbert Cane. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

When Charles Herbert Cane enlisted in October 1914 he nominated his brother Harry in Orange as his next of kin.

A labourer in Victoria prior to enlistment, Charles embarked HMAT Themistocles in Melbourne on 22 December 1914. Private Cane served in the 2nd Battalion at Gallipoli, where he was killed in action on 27 April 1915.

Charles’ and Harry’s brother, Henry Wilson Cane, also enlisted in WWI. Henry was hospitalised whilst in camp at Broadmeadows in Victoria. He died on 23 May 1915; his service records cite measles and bronchopneumonia as his cause of death.

It is not clear what brought Harry to Orange, or how long he stayed. Census records indicate that he was no longer living in Orange in 1915 or 1916.