Name
Charles James Vaughan
1895
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
15/09/1916
21
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
16687
Leicestershire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 2 C and 3 A.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, St Paul's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, Not on the Redbourn Memorial
Pre War
Charles James Vaughan (known as Charley) was born in 1895 in Redbourn, Herts, the son of Daniel and Rachel Vaughan, and baptised at St Mary's Church, Redbourn on 3 November 1895. He was one of ten children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 8 Wood Lane, Hemel Hempstead where his father was working as a Horsekeeper on a Farm. By 1911 they had moved to 3 Adeyfield Terrace, Hemel Hempstead and Charley was working as an Assistant Gardener.
At some point he moved to Kibworth, Leics, perhaps to work as a Gardener on the Westfield Estate, as Kibworth was his given address on enlistment.
Wartime Service
He enlisted at Market Harborough, Leicestershire and served with the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment in France from on 1 April 1915. The Battalion were positioned in Flanders for the majority of 1915 and early 1916.
He had been promoted to Lance Corporal by September 1916 when they went into action in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. He was killed in action on 15 September 1916, the first day of the battle. The attack was initially successful, even though the newly invented tanks used were unreliable, and they gained approximately one and half miles of ground in the first three days. However, progress stalled and heavy casualties were sustained before the attack was called off on 22 September.
He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £7 10s and pay owing of £9 11s 5d. He was also awarded a pension of 5 shillings a week. It was reported in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette of 11 November 1916 that a memorial service was held at St Paul's Church, Hemel Hempstead for Charles Vaughan and four other soldiers from the parish.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Gareth Hughes, Malcolm Lennox, www.hemelheroes.com.
