Name
Charles Patrick George Simmons
21/03/1888
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
26/09/1917
29
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Serjeant
7862
Hampshire Regiment
14th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 88 to 90 and 162.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Belgium.
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Cheshunt Memorials, Warsash War Memorial Hampshire, St Mary's Church Memorial Warsash Hampshire
Pre War
Charles Patrick George Simmons was born on 21st March 1888, in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, son of James Arthur Simmons a, Domestic Coachman and Alice Simmons (nee Brown). One of eleven children although four died in infancy.
Baptised on 6th May 1888, in the Parish of Cheshunt, Herts. The family were living in Church Lane, Cheshunt, at the time of his Baptism.
1891 Census records Charles aged 3, living with his parents, two sisters and two brothers in, Church Lane, Cheshunt, Herts.
1901 Census, Charles aged 13, is living with his parent’s, brothers Arthur (18) and Frank (9) still in Church Lane, Cheshunt.
Charles enlisted at Gosport, Hampshire, in 1907, posted to the Hampshire Regiment with the service number 7862
1911 Census records Charles aged 22, single and a Private in 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, stationed at Kings Hill, Harrismith, Orange Free State, South Africa. By 1911, his parents, sister Edith (27) and brother Frank (19) were now living at The Jolly Farmer PH, Fleet End Road, Warsash, Hampshire, where his father was the Landlord. All the family worked at the PH.
Charles married Ruth Weight the daughter of William and Anne Weight, in the early part of 1916, they went on to have a daughter Eva Ruth Simmons born in March 1917.
Wartime Service
At the outbreak of war Charles was a serving soldier, stationed at Colchester, Essex, with the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Mobilized for war they landed at Le Havre, France, on 23rd/24th August 1914. (Charles served with the 1st, 11th & 14th Battalions, reaching the Rank of Sergent).
Seeing action on the Western Front, he was Killed in Action on 26th September 1917, the first day of the Battle of Polygon Wood, (26th Sept – 3rd Oct 1917) part of the Third Battle of Ypres (31st July -10th Nov 1017). He has no known grave; he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Belgium.
Additional Information
Ruth received a grant of £5, on 1st November 1917 and a Widows Pension of £1-1s-3d, a week from 22nd April 1918, and his effects of £6-18s-4d, pay owing and his war gratuity of £21.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Jonty Wild
