Obituaries Australia

Charles Coltman, 1915

Australian War Memorial, P07426-003

News was received in Ballarat today of the death from pneumonia, in Ghezireh Hospital, Egypt, of Major Charles Stanley Coltman, who was formerly an officer of the old 7th Ballarat Battalion. He served with the first Australian contingent in the South African war, enlisting at Bendigo. He was among the first to enlist at Sydney in connection with the present war and was given a captain's commission. Deceased took part in the famous action at Anzac, and was wounded. He was however, soon able to return to the field and was finally withdrawn when the evacuation of Suvla Bay and Anzac took place recently. He sent a cable message to his parents at Ballarat stating that he was in Egypt resting, and was very well. Four weeks ago, however, he became ill with   pneumonia, and it proved fatal.

Major Coltman, who was a native of Ballarat, was educated at Grenville College, and subsequently studied electrical engineering. He was for some time attached to the Ballarat Electgric Supply Co., and when he enlisted was a member of the Co-operative Motor Co. Australia, the head quarters of which are in Sydney. Major Coltman was a widows, his wife dying shortly after his marriage.

Colonel Bolton, who had command of the 8th Batallion at the Dardanelles and is now commandant of the Ballarat camp, in referring to the death of Major Coltman, said he was a fine stamp of soldier, a real man, and one whom every officer in the brigade admired, not only for his fine work as a machine gun officer, but for his pluck, and his many qualities. All the officers of the brigade, the colonel added, would be sorry to hear of the death of such a fine officer. His machine gun work was the talk of the place at the landing and afterwards.