Name
Charles Augustus Primett
18 September 1887
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/10/1916
29
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4/6279
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 2C
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin, Not on the Ickleford memorials
Pre War
Charles Primett was born in Albany, New York on 18 September 1887, the son of Albert Primett and his wife Agnes, and baptised on 11 October 1894 in Ickleford, Herts.
In 1901 the family were living at 2 Taylors Cottages, Old Park Road, Hitchin. Present were both parents: Albert (38) and Agnes (37), with Albert working as a bricklayer’s labourer. Their children were: Frank (15), Charley (13), John (10), Daniel (9), Elsie (5) and Minnie, who was just 7 months old. Frank had been born in Ickleford, as was Elsie. All those in between, were born in New York, so presumably they had emigrated but returned.
By 1911 the family were living at 82 Tilehouse Street, Hitchin. Present were both parents, Albert was still working as a bricklayer’s labourer. The census recorded they had been married for 26 years with 11 children, of whom 4 had died. Of the above children only John and Minnie were present, but they had been joined by Bessie (8), a lodger was also present. Charles joined the army, and his service number suggests he enlisted soon after January 1910. On the 1911 Census Charles was a boarder at The Lion's Head, 61 Railway St, Hertford, along with five other Privates from the 4th Battalion, Beds Regt.
His home had been 82 Tilehouse St. Hitchin. He was his parents second son, and he was residing at 18 Spencer Road, Luton (with his brother Frank and his family) when he was mobilised as an Army Reservist at the outbreak of war. .
Wartime Service
Charles was a reservist and mobilised at the declaration of war, being sent to France on 8 November 1914. He was given the Regimental Number 4/6279 and posted to the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.
He fought at the Battles of Las Bassee, Ypres, Hill 60 and Loos. The 2nd Battalion was in the 30th Division and was ordered to attack to the right of the Butte de Warlencourt to occupy Gird and Bite Trenches. Zero hour was set at 2.05pm on the 12th October 1916. The Bedfords front line trenches did not fall square with the line of attack, and this added to the difficulties of direction. After an advance of about 60 yards they came under intense rifle and machine-gun fire from a Brandenburg Regiment known to be hard fighters. For hours the Bedfords were unable to advance or retire. By the end of the day the attack had achieved 200 yards of Bite Trench and 70 yards of Gird Trench for the loss of 10 officers and 242 men.
He was killed in action on 12 October 1916 during the Battle of Transloy, whilst getting into a trench. He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Charles has an entry in the National Roll of the Great War which confirms that was a Reservist and mobilised and suggests that he went to France in September 1914, also that he was involved in the battles of La Bassee, Ypres, Hill 60 and Loos – these were normally placed by family members using what they knew and are not always 100% correct. Certainly his medal card confirm that he landed in France on 8 November 1914, not in September, and his possible involvement in these battles needs checking against the Battalion war diaries.
Additional Information
His brother, Corporal Frank Primett who served with the 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and was killed the previous month on the Somme, is also named on the Thiepval Memorial.
After his death £29 10s 6d pay owing was authorised to go to his mother, Agnes, on 21 March 1916. Later, a war gratuity of £12 10s was authorised to be paid to her on 8 December 1919.
The pension cards found record both Charles and Frank as dead and give Agnes, their mother, of 18 Spencer Road, Luton, Beds. After her death this was amended to her husband, and Charles’s father, Albert, but it is not clear how much pension was paid.
N.B. Majority of records do not use the middle name Augustus.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Brenda Palmer, Jonty Wild, www.bedfordregiment.org.uk
