Charles was born in October 1887 and lived at Upper Hill Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool with his Father Joseph and his mother Elizabeth. The family were originally from Shropshire and John’s ran a family business as a greengrocer. He had on older sister Lilian Elizabeth who was three years older than Charles.  At the time of the 1901 census the family were still living in Toxteth but it was noted that the family also owned a home in Church Stretton, Shropshire.

By the time of the 1911 census Charles was a boarding student aged 22 and resident at the Church Of England Training College, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, which suggests he could have been training to become a teacher or even a minister of religion. At this time Charles’ family had moved to Cilcain and lived at a house called Glanaber, Pentre, which still carries this name today.

He enlisted in Birmingham and as a corporal in the 11th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment he would have fought in the Battle of the Ancre on the Somme in France. The battle took place between 13th and 18th  November, 1916 and was the final large British attack of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, before the winter weather forced a pause in British attacks until the new year. The attack was focused of the village of Beaumont-Hamel.

John’s battalion was an infantry battalion and as a corporal he would have led a small platoon of soldiers who with many other soldiers would have engaged in trench warfare and would have fallen either as a result of heavy bombardment by the German army that occupied the opposing defensive lines or as a result of “going over the top” as a line of infantry men attacking the German defenses including machine guns positions and rifle fire.

His body lies at Grave B 14, Redan Ridge Cemetery No. 3, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France.