30/07/2026
💥SOLD ……..
Charles John Fairbrother (1894–1917)
A Tasmanian Signaller Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
This moving World War I memorial portrait depicts Signaller Charles John Fairbrother (Service No. 1949) of the 33rd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.
Born in Launceston and raised at Elizabeth Town near Deloraine, Charles was the second son of John and Elizabeth Fairbrother, natives of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England, who had made Tasmania their home. He enlisted in Sydney on 13 April 1916 and served on the Western Front in France.
One particularly interesting feature of this portrait is the partial Signaller’s proficiency badge visible on the lower sleeve of his tunic, identifying him as a trained signaller—a specialist responsible for maintaining vital communications on the battlefield, often under intense enemy fire.
Charles was mortally wounded during fighting in France and died of his wounds on 1 July 1917, aged just 22 years. He is buried at Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck, France.
His death was reported in The Examiner on 17 July 1917, which carried the poignant family notice:
“FAIRBROTHER.—Killed in action in France on July 1, 1917. Signal C. J. Fairbrother, second son of John and Elizabeth Fairbrother, of Ashby de Zouch, Leicestershire, England, now of Elizabeth Town, aged 22 years.”
Now preserved in its original carved timber frame, this beautiful sepia enlargement is far more than an antique photograph—it is a personal memorial to one of Tasmania’s young men whose life was cut tragically short in the Great War. More than a century later, Charles Fairbrother’s smile and quiet confidence still speak across the generations, reminding us of the extraordinary sacrifice made by so many Australians.
Overall frame size: 48.5 × 58.5 cm.
Available now from Leven Antiques, Ulverstone.
