C A M E O O F T H E M O N T H
Each month I will put on the website the story of a soldier who died during the First World War.
They are selected at random.
Each month I will put on the website the story of a soldier who died during the First World War.
They are selected at random.
Thiepval Memorial
17007 Private Charles Unsworth Acton
7th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
Died on Friday 14th July 1916, aged 17
Commemorated on Pier and Face 12 A.
Died on Friday 14th July 1916, aged 17
Commemorated on Pier and Face 12 A.
Charles was the son of Charles and Sarah Acton of 113 Smith Street, Nelson, Lancashire. He had an elder brother, Ernest, and sisters Bessie, and Edith. Charles was educated locally then became a half-time weft cutter.
He volunteered and enlisted in Nelson and sent for training in Bournemouth and Aldershot. HM King George V took the salute as the Battalion marched passed him on the Aldershot road on Sunday 5th September. Lieutenant Colonel John Harry Barber led the Battalion from the barracks on Monday 27th September to entrain at Aldershot Station at 8.00pm bound for Folkestone. They sailed to Boulogne where they arrived at 2.30am the next morning, then marched to the ‘Ostrohove Rest Camp’ where everyone got some rest. The Battalion marched to the station and entrained to Hazebrouck. They paraded on the station and left in the pouring rain to billets in Merris but en route the Colonel was ordered to continue onto Méteren. As the Battalion approached the village in the dark the sound of battle could be heard with the night sky illuminated by the firing of guns and flares in the distance. They moved to a camp in Outtersteene on Thursday 30th and after 5 days marched to Bailleul where during the night a number of Zeppelins were seen flying high in the sky going to raid England. The move towards the front line began on Thursday 7th October and 2 days later marched through Bailleul to a camp near Poperinghe at Busseboom. All ranks were sent to the front line for practical experience attached to battle-hardened troops with 1st Gordon Highlanders. The Battalion’s first tour of duty began on Wednesday 13th at ‘Sanctuary Wood’ where Private Edward Smout was killed, the first battle casualty from the Battalion. Two days later Private John Cooper was killed, they are buried in Maple Copse Cemetery, Special Memorials D.9 and J.23 respectively. During the night of Sunday 21st the 10th Notts & Derby relieved the Battalion.
Rest and training began in Steenvoorde that lasted until Tuesday 23rd November when they marched to a camp in Reninghelst. A week later the Battalion returned to the trenches to relieve the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers in the grim St Eloi sector before moving to the Yser Canal where they held a frontage of 1,200 yards. When the 7 day tour of duty ended they returned to Reninghelst after losing 5 killed and 7 wounded. Colonel Barber was sent to the Field Ambulance on Monday 13th December from where he was evacuated to England 10 days later.
The Battalion was relieved on Tuesday 21st to Reninghelst where they spent Christmas Day, however, the New Year was welcomed in the trenches at St Eloi. They remained on tours of duty until the early hours of Wednesday 2nd February when they were relieved and marched to Poperinghe. The Battalion entrained to Audruicq where they arrived at 11.20pm. Billets were provided in Est Mont and Ouest Mont where, after some much-needed rest, training began that continued for the rest of the month.
They entrained on Wednesday 1st March and took to the trenches in The Bluff sector. The winter weather was particularly bad, cold, windy and snow lay across the battlefield that took a toll on the men. 146 were evacuated to the Field Ambulance. Casualties continued to mount with the first Officer being killed on Tuesday 21st, 2nd Lieutenant Charles Victor Townsend who is buried in Dickebusch New Military Cemetery, H. 37. 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Paul Bausor, who was attached to the Battlefront was killed on Thursday 6th April, he is commemorated on The Menin Gate, Panel 47. April was a busy time for the Battalion at the front when they were in action near the craters at St Eloi. 2nd Lieutenant Ernest Henry Robinson, in charge of the Lewis guns, took a party to occupy a new crater. Two of his team were killed, he and one of his men were wounded, however he continued to serve in the crater and only left when the crater was destroyed by shellfire. For the action the Officer was Mentioned in Despatches; later Lieutenant Robinson was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, awarded the DSO and MC and Bar. In early May the Battalion moved to La Clytte and went into the line. 2nd Lieutenant Bertrand Leslie Bolt was badly wounded and evacuated on Saturday 13th May. He was taken to be treated behind the lines in Bailleul where he died later in the day — he had only arrived in France on Monday 24th April. The Battalion lost 21 men wounded and 7 killed who are buried in La Clytte Military Cemetery.
The Battalion was relieved in ‘Ridge Wood’ on Sunday 28th and went into Corps Reserve in rest billets around Berthen. Colonel Raymond Ewings Negus received orders to be on 3½ hours notice to move if required on Thursday 1st June. The Battalion was re-equipped and undertook training. At 2.30pm on Saturday 10th they moved to ‘Camp A’ in Reninghelst that was reached by 11.00pm. The next day they relieved the 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers at St Eloi where they ‘stood to’ during a Canadian counter-attack. The Canadians repeated the action 2 days later during which Sergeant Percy Hatfield was killed and 3 men wounded. He is buried with many of his comrades in La Clytte, II.D.30 a cemetery that is covered in my book “The Kemmel Sector”, part of this series. After a couple of relatively quiet days their sector came under an intense bombardment that only lasted for ½ hour but 6 men were killed and 15 wounded — those killed are buried with their comrades. The Battalion was relieved on Friday 16th by the 2nd Royal Scots and proceeded to ‘Scottish Wood’ where they undertook fatigues.
Following the tour of duty the 31st Canadians relieved them and marched to ‘K Camp’ where a draft of 73 men awaited them. After a nights’ rest a route marched took the Battalion to Poperinghe where they entrained for St Omer. They marched to Boisdinghem where further drafts arrived and a number of officers — the strength of the Battalion was 33 Officers and 905 men.
The move towards the Somme began on Saturday 1st July as the offensive to the south began. They marched to Wizernes to entrain for Fienvillers, a route that took them via Calais, Etaples and Abbeville. Positive news about the Battle of the Somme arrived that gave them heart as they marched in the warm summer weather to Flesselles with many men dropping out en route. A series of moves took them to Corbie from where the senior Officers went to ‘Caterpillar Wood’ to reconnoître the captured ground and ‘No Man’s Land’.
The Battalion marched to Carnoy on Friday 7th from where they moved into the trenches. Patrols were sent out at night and during the day the men undertook training to prepare themselves for their first action on the Somme. The first death was taken on Monday 10th when Private Henry Reed was killed. He is buried in Carnoy Military Cemetery, T.31.
The Battalion moved into ‘No `Man’s Land’ by 11.00pm on Thursday 13th.
From 2.30am on Friday 14th the Battalion moved forward in waves to attack the enemy front line and support line trenches in Bazentin-le-Grand. Together with the 8th East Yorks they assaulted the German lines some 1,500 yards ahead of them, with the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers in support and 2nd Royal Scots in reserve. The Germans could not be seen as they advanced due to the rise and fall of the ground ahead of them. At 3.20am an artillery bombardment fell across the line causing a large number of casualties amongst the men as well as the enemy. Colonel Negus was captured by the enemy as he lay wounded, trapped in the wire with Privates Arrowsmith and Morgan. Captain William Lloyd (later of the Kumaon Rifles, attached to the Indian Army) led a further attack and then bombed their way forward to the German line and rescued the Colonel.
The War Diary records for the day, from 3.30am:
Battalion advanced toward German trenches and were held up by barbed wire, remainder leaped into shell holes & consolidated along road 200yds from German trench.
11am. We were informed by the 2nd Royal Scots were bombing along German trench on our left, which had been take at 12pm. Battn again charged & captured both the 1st & 2nd trenches, & also 250 prisoners. When all Battn were collected & consolidated German 2nd trench, we found 5 officers were untouched, the remainder were wounded or killed, the losses in the ranks was found to be heavy.
Officers wounded:
Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Ewings Negus, he was later appointed Attorney General of St Lucia;
Major Frank Johnston (Second in Command) was badly wounded in the shoulder;
Captain Norton Montresor Hughes Hallett (‘C’ Company); he was a first class cricketer for Derbyshire before the war, he was later promoted Lieutenant Colonel and served as a garrison commander in Barbados during WWII;
2nd Lieutenant Alan Wilson Johns (Bombing Officer);
2nd Lieutenant Hugh Stanley Hopcraft (Lewis gun Officer), later served with the Royal Flying Corps;
2nd Lieutenant Owen Robert Lloyd (‘A’ Company) he was killed on Thursday 20th September 1917 and is buried in Cement House Cemetery, I.C.4;
2nd Lieutenant Wolfian Onslow Ford (‘C’ Company).
Officers died:
Captain Edward William Rigby (OC ‘D’ Company), commemorated on Thiepval;
Captains Edmund Lancelot Wright (OC ‘A’ Company), La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, I.C.7 and Geoffrey Francis Silvester (OC ‘B’ Company), I.C.24 with 2nd Lieutenant Walter Llewellyn Davies, (‘B’ Company, died of wounds), La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, I. B. 49;
Lieutenant Charles Patrick Caesar (‘C’ Company), 2nd Lieutenants Louis Michael Dell (Pioneer Officer), Charles Ernest Green (‘D’ Company) and Claude O’Connell McSwiny (D’ Company) are commemorated on the Memorial;
A total of 163 men were killed with 294 men wounded. The vast majority of those killed are commemorated with 17 year-old Private Charles Unsworth Acton on the Memorial.
Charles is commemorated on Nelson War Memorial.
He volunteered and enlisted in Nelson and sent for training in Bournemouth and Aldershot. HM King George V took the salute as the Battalion marched passed him on the Aldershot road on Sunday 5th September. Lieutenant Colonel John Harry Barber led the Battalion from the barracks on Monday 27th September to entrain at Aldershot Station at 8.00pm bound for Folkestone. They sailed to Boulogne where they arrived at 2.30am the next morning, then marched to the ‘Ostrohove Rest Camp’ where everyone got some rest. The Battalion marched to the station and entrained to Hazebrouck. They paraded on the station and left in the pouring rain to billets in Merris but en route the Colonel was ordered to continue onto Méteren. As the Battalion approached the village in the dark the sound of battle could be heard with the night sky illuminated by the firing of guns and flares in the distance. They moved to a camp in Outtersteene on Thursday 30th and after 5 days marched to Bailleul where during the night a number of Zeppelins were seen flying high in the sky going to raid England. The move towards the front line began on Thursday 7th October and 2 days later marched through Bailleul to a camp near Poperinghe at Busseboom. All ranks were sent to the front line for practical experience attached to battle-hardened troops with 1st Gordon Highlanders. The Battalion’s first tour of duty began on Wednesday 13th at ‘Sanctuary Wood’ where Private Edward Smout was killed, the first battle casualty from the Battalion. Two days later Private John Cooper was killed, they are buried in Maple Copse Cemetery, Special Memorials D.9 and J.23 respectively. During the night of Sunday 21st the 10th Notts & Derby relieved the Battalion.
Rest and training began in Steenvoorde that lasted until Tuesday 23rd November when they marched to a camp in Reninghelst. A week later the Battalion returned to the trenches to relieve the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers in the grim St Eloi sector before moving to the Yser Canal where they held a frontage of 1,200 yards. When the 7 day tour of duty ended they returned to Reninghelst after losing 5 killed and 7 wounded. Colonel Barber was sent to the Field Ambulance on Monday 13th December from where he was evacuated to England 10 days later.
The Battalion was relieved on Tuesday 21st to Reninghelst where they spent Christmas Day, however, the New Year was welcomed in the trenches at St Eloi. They remained on tours of duty until the early hours of Wednesday 2nd February when they were relieved and marched to Poperinghe. The Battalion entrained to Audruicq where they arrived at 11.20pm. Billets were provided in Est Mont and Ouest Mont where, after some much-needed rest, training began that continued for the rest of the month.
They entrained on Wednesday 1st March and took to the trenches in The Bluff sector. The winter weather was particularly bad, cold, windy and snow lay across the battlefield that took a toll on the men. 146 were evacuated to the Field Ambulance. Casualties continued to mount with the first Officer being killed on Tuesday 21st, 2nd Lieutenant Charles Victor Townsend who is buried in Dickebusch New Military Cemetery, H. 37. 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Paul Bausor, who was attached to the Battlefront was killed on Thursday 6th April, he is commemorated on The Menin Gate, Panel 47. April was a busy time for the Battalion at the front when they were in action near the craters at St Eloi. 2nd Lieutenant Ernest Henry Robinson, in charge of the Lewis guns, took a party to occupy a new crater. Two of his team were killed, he and one of his men were wounded, however he continued to serve in the crater and only left when the crater was destroyed by shellfire. For the action the Officer was Mentioned in Despatches; later Lieutenant Robinson was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, awarded the DSO and MC and Bar. In early May the Battalion moved to La Clytte and went into the line. 2nd Lieutenant Bertrand Leslie Bolt was badly wounded and evacuated on Saturday 13th May. He was taken to be treated behind the lines in Bailleul where he died later in the day — he had only arrived in France on Monday 24th April. The Battalion lost 21 men wounded and 7 killed who are buried in La Clytte Military Cemetery.
The Battalion was relieved in ‘Ridge Wood’ on Sunday 28th and went into Corps Reserve in rest billets around Berthen. Colonel Raymond Ewings Negus received orders to be on 3½ hours notice to move if required on Thursday 1st June. The Battalion was re-equipped and undertook training. At 2.30pm on Saturday 10th they moved to ‘Camp A’ in Reninghelst that was reached by 11.00pm. The next day they relieved the 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers at St Eloi where they ‘stood to’ during a Canadian counter-attack. The Canadians repeated the action 2 days later during which Sergeant Percy Hatfield was killed and 3 men wounded. He is buried with many of his comrades in La Clytte, II.D.30 a cemetery that is covered in my book “The Kemmel Sector”, part of this series. After a couple of relatively quiet days their sector came under an intense bombardment that only lasted for ½ hour but 6 men were killed and 15 wounded — those killed are buried with their comrades. The Battalion was relieved on Friday 16th by the 2nd Royal Scots and proceeded to ‘Scottish Wood’ where they undertook fatigues.
Following the tour of duty the 31st Canadians relieved them and marched to ‘K Camp’ where a draft of 73 men awaited them. After a nights’ rest a route marched took the Battalion to Poperinghe where they entrained for St Omer. They marched to Boisdinghem where further drafts arrived and a number of officers — the strength of the Battalion was 33 Officers and 905 men.
The move towards the Somme began on Saturday 1st July as the offensive to the south began. They marched to Wizernes to entrain for Fienvillers, a route that took them via Calais, Etaples and Abbeville. Positive news about the Battle of the Somme arrived that gave them heart as they marched in the warm summer weather to Flesselles with many men dropping out en route. A series of moves took them to Corbie from where the senior Officers went to ‘Caterpillar Wood’ to reconnoître the captured ground and ‘No Man’s Land’.
The Battalion marched to Carnoy on Friday 7th from where they moved into the trenches. Patrols were sent out at night and during the day the men undertook training to prepare themselves for their first action on the Somme. The first death was taken on Monday 10th when Private Henry Reed was killed. He is buried in Carnoy Military Cemetery, T.31.
The Battalion moved into ‘No `Man’s Land’ by 11.00pm on Thursday 13th.
From 2.30am on Friday 14th the Battalion moved forward in waves to attack the enemy front line and support line trenches in Bazentin-le-Grand. Together with the 8th East Yorks they assaulted the German lines some 1,500 yards ahead of them, with the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers in support and 2nd Royal Scots in reserve. The Germans could not be seen as they advanced due to the rise and fall of the ground ahead of them. At 3.20am an artillery bombardment fell across the line causing a large number of casualties amongst the men as well as the enemy. Colonel Negus was captured by the enemy as he lay wounded, trapped in the wire with Privates Arrowsmith and Morgan. Captain William Lloyd (later of the Kumaon Rifles, attached to the Indian Army) led a further attack and then bombed their way forward to the German line and rescued the Colonel.
The War Diary records for the day, from 3.30am:
Battalion advanced toward German trenches and were held up by barbed wire, remainder leaped into shell holes & consolidated along road 200yds from German trench.
11am. We were informed by the 2nd Royal Scots were bombing along German trench on our left, which had been take at 12pm. Battn again charged & captured both the 1st & 2nd trenches, & also 250 prisoners. When all Battn were collected & consolidated German 2nd trench, we found 5 officers were untouched, the remainder were wounded or killed, the losses in the ranks was found to be heavy.
Officers wounded:
Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Ewings Negus, he was later appointed Attorney General of St Lucia;
Major Frank Johnston (Second in Command) was badly wounded in the shoulder;
Captain Norton Montresor Hughes Hallett (‘C’ Company); he was a first class cricketer for Derbyshire before the war, he was later promoted Lieutenant Colonel and served as a garrison commander in Barbados during WWII;
2nd Lieutenant Alan Wilson Johns (Bombing Officer);
2nd Lieutenant Hugh Stanley Hopcraft (Lewis gun Officer), later served with the Royal Flying Corps;
2nd Lieutenant Owen Robert Lloyd (‘A’ Company) he was killed on Thursday 20th September 1917 and is buried in Cement House Cemetery, I.C.4;
2nd Lieutenant Wolfian Onslow Ford (‘C’ Company).
Officers died:
Captain Edward William Rigby (OC ‘D’ Company), commemorated on Thiepval;
Captains Edmund Lancelot Wright (OC ‘A’ Company), La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, I.C.7 and Geoffrey Francis Silvester (OC ‘B’ Company), I.C.24 with 2nd Lieutenant Walter Llewellyn Davies, (‘B’ Company, died of wounds), La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, I. B. 49;
Lieutenant Charles Patrick Caesar (‘C’ Company), 2nd Lieutenants Louis Michael Dell (Pioneer Officer), Charles Ernest Green (‘D’ Company) and Claude O’Connell McSwiny (D’ Company) are commemorated on the Memorial;
A total of 163 men were killed with 294 men wounded. The vast majority of those killed are commemorated with 17 year-old Private Charles Unsworth Acton on the Memorial.
Charles is commemorated on Nelson War Memorial.