Pte
Charles Robert Sinden

Information about birth

Date of birth:
25/12/1886
Place of birth:
Rye, Rother, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom

General information

Last known residence:
20 Kings Road, Stoke, Guildford, England, United Kingdom
Profession:
Driver

Army information

Country:
England, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
33359
Enlistment date:
06/12/1915
Enlistment place:
Guildford, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  York & Lancaster Regiment 1/4th Bn. (Hallamshire)  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
09/10/1917
Place of death:
Fleet Cottage, 's Graventafel, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
30

Cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery
Plot: XIX
Row: H
Grave: 11

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 4

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place
#4 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Charles Robert Sinden was the son of Charles and Mary Jane Sinden. He was born on 25 December 1886 in Guildford, Surrey, where he also lived. Before the war he worked as a chauffeur. Charles married Evelyn Annie. Together they had two sons, Albert Charles and Robert Stanley. He enlisted in the British Army in December 1916 and served in the 1/4th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment (148th Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Regiment).

Charles was killed on 9 October 1917 during the Battle of Poelkapelle, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The starting lines of the 49th (West Riding) Division ran from Kronprinz Farm to near Berlin Wood. The objective of the division was first to advance to the line from Wolf Farm to Lamkeek and then push on to a line from Woodland Plantation to Duck Lodge. The 1/4th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment also took part in this attack.

At around 4:00 a.m. the battalion had reached its assembly positions. Due to the heavy rainfall prior to 9 October, the terrain had become a morass. The first obstacle the battalion encountered was the Ravenbeek, which had become deep and wide because of the torrential rain. Only a group of about 50 men of C Company succeeded in crossing the stream. Troops of B Company came under heavy machine-gun fire from Waterfields and Laamkeek and were held up. On the left, the fire was less intense and troops of A and B Company managed to cross the Ravebeek near Graventafel Road. Troops of A Company succeeded in reaching Marsh Bottoms and dug in there. D Company attempted to pass them but did not succeed.

During the Battle of Poelkapelle the 1/4th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment suffered nearly 300 casualties. Charles too was killed, at the age of 30. After the war his body was found near Fleet Cottage. He was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he still rests today.

Sources 7

1/4 Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment. (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2805/1).
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303
Sources used
1901 England Census, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), RG13).
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used
1911 England Census, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), RG14).
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO372).
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used
Grant Douglas Percy, The 1/4th (Hallamshire) Battn., York and Lancaster Regiment, 1914-1919, (London, Naval and Military Press, 1926), pg 79-87.
Sources used
McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account, (Londen, Arms & Armour Press, 2018), pg 118-123.
Sources used
War Office: Soldiers' Documents, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO363).
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used

More information 3