Name
Charley Dedman
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/09/1916
29
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
7948
London Regiment *1
13th (County of London) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GUILLEMONT ROAD CEMETERY, GUILLEMONT
XI. N. 9.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
High Wych Memorial, Not on the Sawbridgeworth memorials, Swannington War Memorial
Pre War
Charles Dedman was born 19th November1886, in High Wych, Herts, the second son of Charles, a gardener and his wife Emma who lived at Hand Terrace.
By 1911 there were 4 sons and a daughter, May, in the family. Charles, commonly referred to as Charley, was registered as a farm worker. They were living in Hand Terrace, Sawbridgeworth, Herts. and his parent were recorded as still living here after his death. However, sometime between 1911 and 1914 Charley moved to Swannington in Leicestershire to work with a Saddler at nearby Coalville.
Wartime Service
In August 1914, Charley volunteered to serve and immediately joined the 1/5th Leicestershire Regiment with the service number 2540. Perhaps surprisingly he was sent with his unit to billets in Sawbridgeworth.
Later in that 19year, probably October-December, he was transferred to the 13th Battalion London Regiment. This Battalion, in 1914 was based nearby at Abbots Langley, and was known to be a ‘volunteer’ Battalion. The 13th Battalion soon disembarked in France on the 26th June 1916.
On 9 September 1916, Charley’s Battalion was involved in the Battle of Ginchy, a part of the much larger Somme offensive. His Battalion attacked the village of Ginchy, near Guillemont, behind a ‘creeping barrage’ in the afternoon at 1645 hours. Although the attack was successful, it came at a cost. Heavy casualties were taken from German shrapnel and machine gun fire. They captured Guillemont six days before his death.
Charley Dedman was one of those killed. He suffered a bullet wound to the head. His death was reported in the ‘Coalville Times’ of 17 November 1916. He was aged 29.
Charley Dedman is buried at Guillemont Road Cemetery, Guillemont, France.
Additional Information
His headstone reads “Gone from us but not forgotten never shall thy memory fade” as requested by his mother.
Charley’s older brother Alfred and his younger brother Thomas did not join the army. Albert, the youngest of the family did however, he was called up during March 1918 and joined the 1st reserve garrison of the Suffolk Regiment, as he was not declared fit to fight.
*1 Believed more correctly, (County of London) Bn. London Regiment (Kensington).
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Theo van de Bilt, David Harvey – Leventhorpe School, Douglas Coe
