Charles known as 'Charlie' was born in December c1896 at the town of Hawker in Clare, South Australia. He attended Pingelly State School as a child with his sister, Eva.
Charles lived with his father Jack and mother Louisa for a short time in an old stone hut on the outskirts of Gnowangerup which had the distinction of being a lodging place for Sir John Forrest during his time surveying the area.
His parents later opened a pie shop located near the present butcher's shop.
Charlie signed his first papers in Ravensthorpe and gave his address as Gnowangerup on 5 November 1916 (NR: 8/11/1915). Charlie was aged 18 years and 11 months, a single labourer 5'9" tall, weighed 154lbs with fair hair, light brown hair and hazel eyes.

He embarked aboard the Warilda on 16 February 1916 with Edward Poole (Sern 2067) and proceeded to the Western Front.
Charlie's physical strength stood him in good stead as a stretcher bearer. He was hospitalised during his service for appendicitis.
Charlie married a widow, Mrs Ethel Farr (nee Porteous) and they had one daughter Bernice (later Mrs S. Miles).
The children from her first marriage were Gwen, Nell and Maisie.
Charlie worked for a time as a lumper "Each bag was weighed off the wagon (180 lbs/80 kilos) and the lumper would take it up the golden stairs on his back. What mighty workers were those lumpers.... and few were mightier than Charlie Black. With the temperature around the 100 in the shade these lumpers would carry over 100 bags a day up stacks 20 bags high"
(Gnowangerup Star 23 June 1960 referring to the period c1929)

Charlie took over his father's carrier business in Gnowangerup following the War. He supplied the water for the train, pumping it from the dam at Formby's, he supplied fuel in drums and was happy to supply at odd hours for farmers, and also supplied cut wood for the many kitchen and lounge room fireplaces of the day.
The sound of the wood saw in his yard could be heard in the town on most days, he was always a hard worker and remained strong and healthy into later life.
Charlie was a member of the VDC in Gnowangerup during WWII