Military History

Charles was originally listed as missing in action and his death was later officially accepted as being on the 15th September 1916. The following description of events has been extracted from the Internet Archive Book The Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps Volume 5 by Major-General Sir Steuart Hare.

On the 15th the great attack which had been so long awaited and so often postponed was launched, and brought the biggest advance made so far in the Battle of the Somme, though it did not do all that was hoped for it.

The preliminary attack took place at 5.30 a.m., and was accompanied by a tank, but the trenches were found to be unoccupied.

At zero hour, 6.20 a.m., the 41st Brigade advanced ; front line, 8th Rifle Brigade on right, 8th K.R.R.C. on left; second line, 7th Rifle Brigade right, 7th K.R.R.C. left. About 150 yards from the start our 8th Battalion met small outposts of the enemy in shell holes; these were easily driven in or disposed of, but 1 officer was wounded by a bomb. The first trench reached was carried by them with a rush, heavy casualties being inflicted on the enemy, but they lost a good many men from machine-gun fire, and from running into their own barrage.

At 6.30 a.m. the enemy awoke to the fact of an attack, and put down a heavy barrage, but luckily most of it fell behind the attacking troops. The trench which formed the second objective had been almost obliterated by our bombardment, but the enemy, occupying the approximate line of it in shell holes, put up a stout resistance, and our first line suffered heavily before they had turned them out and started consolidating.

The Officer Commanding 8th K.R.R.C., in his report, says that the tanks were a hindrance, owing to the barrage being timed so slow to keep back to their pace. (It must be remembered that he had come across no strongly held machine-gun nests or uncut wire. Other battalions are most grateful for the help the tanks gave them at critical moments.) He is full of praise of the heavy bombardment, and says he saw no bit of wire more than a foot long.

The 8th Battalion held this line for the rest of the day and were heavily shelled. They were relieved in the evening by the 21st Division. Their casualties for the day were: 11 officers wounded; 320 other ranks killed, wounded, and missing.