In The Beginning Charley was born in Portland Place in South Yarra to parents John & Lily Dillon. As John had served in France the couple were eligible for a War Service loan which they used to purchase their home in Teak Street Caulfield some time before Charley started primary school at Caulfield State School. He attended the the school from Prep to Grade 8. Charley completed his Merit Certificate at Caulfield but as he was too young to start work in 1931 Charley had to do another year at the South Yarra State School when the family moved to South Yarra . His years at school were colourful and Charley was probably something other than a model student. He tells many stories of altercations with teachers. He must have driven one teacher to distraction as the teacher gave him quite a hiding. His father, John, confronted the teacher & ended up decking him. They, the teacher & Charley’s father decided to call it quits; the teacher should not have assaulted Charley & John should not have decked the teacher. The family’s move to South Yarra had occurred because John became the RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) at the Drill Hall.

Drill Hall - Corner of Punt & Commercial Roads South Yarra Unfortunately the Drill Hall is no longer there and there appear to be no photos of it. The stories Charley told of adventures during this period are legendary. As a kid, Charley had a dog Digger. He had Digger while at Teak Street & Digger moved with the family to the Drill Hall. Digger was Charley’s dog and nobody was able to do anything to Charley without answering to Digger. If John were to chastise Charley Digger would first have to be loced up. Charley took Digger for walks in the gardens, Fawkner Park, opposite the Drill Hall. On one occasion they came across a couple enjoying each other’s company. The guy took exception to the intrusion & confronted Charley who was suitably protected by Digger. Digger bit the guy between the big toes. After leaving school Charley got his first job with Edmundsons, a second- hand machinery dealer in Coventry Street South Melbourne. His job was delivery and picking up machinery and parts and machinery maintenance. He pushed a barrow into the city each day for which he was paid 8/- (eight shillings) a week. Around 1937 he and friends Billy Turnbull, Vin McQue, Larry O’Rourke and Charles’ cousin, Jack Simpson, would ride their motor bikes to dances three nights a week.

May Marshall Vin’s girl friend was Mary Dee who had a friend May Marshall. Charley & May first met at Vin’s place. The boys, Charley, Vin, Billy & Larry, went to dances, often three nights a week as did May and her friends. In 1937 May was 16 and making her debut; she asked Charley to partner her. They went out together for three years before getting married.

Motor Bikes Bike riding proved somewhat hazardous with Charley having a series of accidents, each more serious that the previous. In one midly amusing accident Chalrey was riding pillion with Vin down the Great Ocean Road. The brake rod snapped so Charley had the job of braking the bike by pulling on what was left of the brake rod. On one corner he did not brake hard enough & they careered off the road into a camping area and into a tent where a rather startled elderly couple were getting dressed. In another accident Charley tried to race the Elsternwick railway gates but the gates won. Charley was jammed in the partially closed gates. In 1939 Charles has his most serious accident when he was dragged under a semi-trailer and hospitalised for six months with a further six months recovery. He was on his way to pick up May to baby-sit Lily who had had a stroke. May was most miffed as she had bought a new dress for the occasion. After being discharged he was exempted from military service because of the injuries. After a few months John (his father & RSM at the Drill Hall) pulled a few strings and Charley joined the militia to assist in his recovery. As is normal with Charley, there is a story here too. His unit had a survival exercise in which the unit was stationed to Gippsland where they were to Live off the land for three weeks. Charley had relatives in nearby Drouin where he spent the time quite comfortably. Shortly after he was discharged.

Army & War Service In August 1941 he and May were married. A few months later in 1942 he was re-classified fit, joined the army on May 5th and was assigned to the tank regiment in Northam WA. While stationed in WA his mother Lily died & Charley applied for leave to attend the funeral. This request was refused. On receiving the refusal he assaulted the officer and was jailed. However, next day the sentence was revoked by a senior officer & Charley made is way to Melbourne but was too late for the funeral. Later that year injuries to his leg recur because of interaction with diesel fuel & oil & he is transferred to Water Transport (sixty foot transport barges) in Queensland. Life in WA also proved interesting for the enterprising Charley. At Northam he serviced a range of vehicles ranging from motor bikes to tanks. Servicing of one officer’s motor bike took three months while Charley tested the vehicle. Beer money (the rest of his pay was sent back to May who was assiduously saving it) was raised by selling spark plugs & fuel to the locals. Some additional beer money was raised during trips to town on RAR by selling his place in the brothel queues to cashed up Yanks. Charley recounts that he did get concerned some times when he got to the head of the queue without a sale. Due to conditions at Northam, exposure to diesel & fuel, his leg one of the injuries from his accident, played up & he was transferred to Puckapunyl and then to Water Transport. At Puckapunyl Charlie went AWOL (absent Without Leave) . On return he was jailed & while in jail his unit left for Singapore where they were overrun by the Japanese and spent the rest of the war in Changi. On his release Charley was assigned to Water Transport and transferred to Queensland before sailing to New Guinea. He was the engineer on board a 60 foot barge (the flotilla consisted of a 120 foot command barge and 60 foot barges) & was charged with maintaining the engine on the trip to Port Moresby and then to Lae, Wewak & Aitape in New Guinea. The barges ferried troops and supplies to the war zone landing them just behind the front lines. They had to contend with snipers, shallow waters and passageways through enemy held islands (Kairu & Mushu Islands off Wewak). The Japanese guns on the island did not have the range unless the barges ventured too close. On one dark night a young inexperienced captain landed them on Mushu but they realised where they were and were able to get away without being noticed. The innovative Charley rigged a starter motor to the landing flap and used The Pick (the anchor) to enable them to drop the troops closer to shore. They would come in close to shore, drop the pick in deeper water and run it out to enable them to pull themselves off the beach. According to Charley the Yanks, not using this technique, would drop their fully laden troops in waist-deep or shoulder-deep water. At the end of the war Charley and his mates were sent to clean up the offshore islands, especially Mushu where they found many Japanese troops in advanced stages of Siphulus & gangrene. They also assisted in loading supplies, vehicles & weapons aboard aircraft carriers and dumping them at sea. Charley & his mates also did a nice trade in selling Japanese memorabilia such as flags they had made to the yanks. He was mightily pissed off when he had to leave a cache of real Japanese swords & other memorabilia when unexploded ordinance was discovered. On his return it had been pinched. He returned on the US aircraft carrier Invincible in Christmas 1945 to live at Argo Street with Aunty, May & Terry. He didn’t waste much time as Kevin was born in October 1946. The couple lived at Argo Street until November when they moved to their new home in Richmond, purchased for £970 from the savings May had achieved. Aunty accompanied them for a short time until dobbed in for not living at her home where she was receiving the old age pension.