Charles Milsom

Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial

Regiment: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 43905

Parents: Alfred and Alice Milsom

Home address: Burchells Green Road, Two Mile Hill Road, Kingswood, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Bootmaker

Date of birth: 1896

Place of birth: Kingswood, Bristol

Date of death: 22/03/1918

Buried/Commemorated at: No known burial site. Commemorated at Pozieres Memorial, Somme France. Not commemorated on a local memorial.

Age: 21

Further information:

Charles was born in Kingswood, the son of a labourer and a middle child of eight with five sisters and two brothers.

If Charles had enlisted shortly after his 18th birthday and served with the 9th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. In 1916 he would have joined his battalion in France and fought in various actions on the Western Front including the Battle of Albert and The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line. Charles was killed in action during the Battle of St Quentin (21 – 23 March 1918) one of the battles fought during Operation Michael. Operation Michael (21 Mar 1918 – 5 Apr 1918) was a victory for the Germans at a cost of 239,800 allied casualties. Charles’ body was never identified and the memorial where he is remembered commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

Note: Incorrectly on CWGC website as Milson.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
Some information supplied by Kingswood Heritage Museum