Name: Schilke, Charles Jr.
Local address: RFD2, Matawan, NJ
Charles was the second of five children of Charles Schilke Sr (1879-1958) and Edla Ray Hawxhurst (1889-1852), born in Wickatunk on July 17, 1916. His father raised honeybees on his property in that community and was a well-known apiarist.
A 1934 graduate of Matawan High School, Charles Jr was an excellent student, maintaining a high academic average over his years at MHS, according to the Matawan Journal, accompanying his graduating class on the field trip to Washington, DC, his senior year. He and his father loved to hunt and their successes in that field were also noted in the local paper.
On October 16, 1940, Charles registered for the draft. He stated he worked with his father on the registration card, and was described as 5’9” tall, 150 pounds, light complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair. He enlisted in the army April 17, 1941, reporting to Fort Dix. Documentation listed his skillset as “semiskilled structural and ornamental metal worker”, single, with two years of college.
The Journal reported on April 24, 1941, that he left Ft. Dix for Ft. Eustis, VA, assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps replacement center for training, eventually being assigned to the 9th Coastal Artillery Regiment. That assignment led him to transfer Ft. Ruckman, Ma., in November of 1941, where he was subsequently promoted to corporal.
1943 saw him having assignments in Camp Murphy, Fl where he underwent anti-aircraft artillery training and Newport News, Va where he was promoted to sergeant in July of that year. On December 16, 1943, he departed San Francisco aboard the troop transport USS Monticello with hundreds of other troops to Hawaii where he received electronics training – probably related to anti-aircraft fire control – at which time he was redesignated Technician 3rd Grade (T-3), assigned to the 85th AAA Battalion, Company “D”.
On November 23, 1944, the Journal reported that he had been seriously wounded in Leyte in the Philippines. He recovered, returned home, and was honorably discharged. He was subsequently employed with the US Army in a civilian capacity, stationed with the Watson Laboratories in Eatontown.
Charles was killed in an airplane crash near Camrose, Alberta, Canada on September 7, 1948. After funeral services at his parent’s Wickatunk residence, he was buried in the Old Tennent Churchyard, Manalapan, NJ.
Charles was the uncle of MHS member Mark Schilke.
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