Christopher George Ball
Memorial: Dyrham - St Peter's Church
Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment
Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 14853
Parents: George and Charlotte Ball
Home address: The Gardens, 5 Church Street (Upper Street) Dyrham, Chippenham, Glos
Pre-war occupation: Gardener
Date of birth: 1890
Place of birth: Dyrham, Glos
Date of death: 03/09/1916
Buried/Commemorated at: Theipval Memorial, France
Age: 26
Further information:
Christopher was born in Dyrham, the only son of George and Charlotte Ball. By 1911 Christopher was working as a gardener at Tortworth Court.
He was a private in the 12th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment. He enlisted on the 21st September 1914. He died on September 3rd 1916 at the Battle of the Somme aged 26. There were no known remains. There is a memorial plaque to his memory in St Peter's Church, Dyrham with the inscription:
Strive - and hold cheap the strain
Learn - nor account the pain
Dare - never grudge the throe
Bristol's Own.
The 12th Battalion was formed in Bristol on 30th August 1914 by the Bristol Citizens Recruiting Committee. Christopher joined on the 21st September 1914. More soldiers were needed as all the regulars and Territorials had gone to war. Because of its city of 'birth', it was called 'Bristols Own'. It trained at Bower Ashton and Ashton Court Estate before moving to Yorkshire and then on to Salisbury plain. In November 1915 the 27 officers and 886 men of the battalion were moved to France and fought in Flanders until the Armistice
On 3rd September the battalion was in action in the Battle of Guillemont. It advanced to the right of Guillemont and by the 5th September it had captured its objective, Falfemont Farm. Christopher died on the first day of this action
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Edward Walsh
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Forces War Records