Rfn
Charles Robert Locker
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 25/03/1885 |
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Place of birth: Deptford, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Grocer's assistant |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: R/27317 |
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Enlistment date: 01/06/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Lewisham, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King's Royal Rifle Corps, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 24/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Clapham Junction, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 32 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 118 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Rifleman Charles Robert Locker served with the 8th Battalion Kings Royals Rifle Corps (41st Brigade, 14th (Light) Division). He was killed in action on 24 August 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele. The 32-year-old grocery assistant, from Deptford, Kent, was the husband of Alice Mary Seager and the father of two young daughters.
On 23 August 1917 part of the 8th Battalion KRRC was relieved and marched to the hinterland, the remainder, one Company and a half, the HQ and Communications Sections were positioned adjacent Clapham Junction in a tunnel beneath the Menin Road.
On the night of the 23rd and 24th August 1917, units of the 42nd Brigade were ordered to relieve the 8th KRRC, but the relief was interrupted by a German attack. Therefore one and a half Company, remained in line, occupying a defensive flank, running from Inverness Copse to Stirling Castle.
Several heavy counter-attacks unfolded throughout the day. At one time units in Inverness Copse were very nearly driven out of their positions. Things looked critical and the 41st Brigade, which was in reserve, was ordered up to the frontline. By the end of the day the Germans had recaptured a significant part of the ground that was won in the previous days.
The 8th KRRC had suffered heavy casualties on the 24th of August 1917, mainly due to German shell fire. About one hundred men were either killed or wounded. Rifleman Charles Robert Locker was one of them. Robert’s captain later wrote to his family that Robert was instantly killed by a shell explosion. Robert has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 23 August 1917 part of the 8th Battalion KRRC was relieved and marched to the hinterland, the remainder, one Company and a half, the HQ and Communications Sections were positioned adjacent Clapham Junction in a tunnel beneath the Menin Road.
On the night of the 23rd and 24th August 1917, units of the 42nd Brigade were ordered to relieve the 8th KRRC, but the relief was interrupted by a German attack. Therefore one and a half Company, remained in line, occupying a defensive flank, running from Inverness Copse to Stirling Castle.
Several heavy counter-attacks unfolded throughout the day. At one time units in Inverness Copse were very nearly driven out of their positions. Things looked critical and the 41st Brigade, which was in reserve, was ordered up to the frontline. By the end of the day the Germans had recaptured a significant part of the ground that was won in the previous days.
The 8th KRRC had suffered heavy casualties on the 24th of August 1917, mainly due to German shell fire. About one hundred men were either killed or wounded. Rifleman Charles Robert Locker was one of them. Robert’s captain later wrote to his family that Robert was instantly killed by a shell explosion. Robert has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 6
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"Passchendaele The Day-By-Day Account", McCarthy C., Uniform 2018, page 64 Sources used |
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"The Anals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, Volume V, The Great War"; Hare S., John Murray, 1932, page 230 - 234 Sources used |
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Ancestry https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1543&h=509162&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=FhQ1&_phstart=successSource Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/833042/locker,-charles-robert/ Sources used |
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The Long Long Trail Sources used |
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War Diary http://www.nmarchive.com/view-diary/dickiebusch/1895-1596/1013561 Further reference |