Pte
Charles Allen
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 03/06/1898 |
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Place of birth: South Shields, Durham, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: apprentice blacksmith |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 30248 |
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Enlistment date: 25/01/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Durham Light Infantry, 13th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Reutel, Beselare, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 128 |
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
Charles Allen, a former blacksmith apprentice, was born on the 3rd of June 1898 in South Shields, Durham, England. He was the son of James and Elizabeth Hymers Lamb. On January 25th, 1916, the enlisted at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He served as a private in the 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, lieing about his age. The 13th Battalion was part of 68th Brigade, of the 23rd Division.
On the 10th of October 1917 the 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry relieved the front line troops at the Reutel Crossroads, facing the village of Beselare. The relief was complete on the morning of the 11th, establishing the headquarters at the Butte in Polygon Wood. During the 11th and the night of the 12th the enemy shelled the front and support lines, prompting the headquarters to move south to the edge of Polygon Wood. The Battalion was relieved on the night between the 12th and 13th of October 1917 and moved to Railway dugouts at Zillebeke.
Charles Allen, aged 19, was killed in acton on October 12th, 1917. Between the 11th and the 12th of October forty men were wounded and five men were killed. Private Charles Allen was one of the men killed that day. He has no known grave and is remembered on panel 126 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On the 10th of October 1917 the 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry relieved the front line troops at the Reutel Crossroads, facing the village of Beselare. The relief was complete on the morning of the 11th, establishing the headquarters at the Butte in Polygon Wood. During the 11th and the night of the 12th the enemy shelled the front and support lines, prompting the headquarters to move south to the edge of Polygon Wood. The Battalion was relieved on the night between the 12th and 13th of October 1917 and moved to Railway dugouts at Zillebeke.
Charles Allen, aged 19, was killed in acton on October 12th, 1917. Between the 11th and the 12th of October forty men were wounded and five men were killed. Private Charles Allen was one of the men killed that day. He has no known grave and is remembered on panel 126 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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13 Battalion Durham Light Infantry (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2182/2). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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War Office: Soldiers’ Documents, First World War (The National Archives, Kew (TNA) WO 363). https://www.ancestry.com/ Sources used |
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Wilfrid Miles, The Durham Forces in the Field, 1914-18 (London, Cassell and Company, 1920), 195. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/845914 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=9095e879-58fd-4670-8dbf-2f7c382ee46d |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/22117 |