Charles Gerard Longmore

Name

Charles Gerard Longmore

Conflict

First World War

Date of Death / Age

24/11/1918
27

Rank, Service Number & Service Details

Captain
Royal Field Artillery
270th Brigade

Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards

1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals

Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country

BEIRUT WAR CEMETERY
303.
Lebanon

Headstone Inscription

Not Researched

UK & Other Memorials

Hertford Town Memorial
St Andrew’s Church Roll of Honour, Hertford
St Andrew’s Church Memorial, Hertford
Bengeo War Memorial Plaque, Holy Trinity Church, Bengeo
Christchurch Plaque, now in Holy Trinity Church, Bengeo

Pre War

Born on 2nd February 1891, in Bengeo, Hertfordshire and was christened on 5 Apr 1891 in Bengeo son of Col. Sir Charles Elton Longmore K.C.B. (Honorary Colonel Hertfordshire Regiment, Solicitor and County Treasurer) and Helen Julia (Sworder), he had two brothers and two sisters.

In 1891 they were living in Port Hill House, Bengeo, and his father was a solicitor with his own business, they also had five servants at that time. By 1901 they were still at Port Hill House now with only three servants and his father was now also a Clerk of the Peace. The 1911 census shows Charles boarding at 30 Clapham Road, Bedford and he is employed as an articled clerk to surveyor. He married Gertrude Johnson on 29th (poss 18th) December 1914 at St Andrews Undershaft, London and they lived at 52 Chaucer Road, Bedford. He was clerk to a surveyor. According to his probate record he left £349 2s 3d to his widow who was still living at 52 Chaucer Road, Bedford.

Wartime Service

Joined the Army in 1914 and was posted to France on 19th November 1915, after some active service his unit was ordered to prepare to embark for Egypt in January 1916, as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the 54th East Anglian division. His unit joined the rest of the division in February 1916 and were stationed in Alexandria as part of the Southern Suez Canal defences.

In 1917 they took part in all three battles for Gaza and for Jaffa, all part of the Palestinian campaign. In 1918 they took part in the battle of Megiddo and in September took part in the advance on Haifa, before moving on to Beirut in late October before the Turkish army signed an armistice on 31st October 1918. Charles was taken ill about this time and died of pneumonia in hospital in Beirut.

Additional Information

Charles, is also commemorated on his family's grave in Hertford Corporation
Cemetery. His inscription reads:

Acknowledgments

Malcolm Lennox, Terry & Glenis Collins