Charles William Hales

A Private with the 9th Battalion, Charles died on 13th of September 1916 at the age of 25. 

Charles was born at Lowestoft on 3 July 1891, a son of John and Sarah Ann Hales.  He was baptised at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft, on 24 July 1891, and his family lived at 4 Erskine Place. In 1901 his family lived at 5 Christchurch Cottages, Lowestoft. By 1911 they were living at 9 Gun Lane, Lowestoft, and Charles was a fish market labourer. Charles' sister, Hannah Hales, lived at Savory Cottages, Saint Johns Road. Lowestoft. 

Charles volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 17626. He was posted to the 9th Battalion and arrived in France with the Battalion on 31 August 1915. 

Charles was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (London Gazette 22 January 1916):

For conspicuous gallantry at Loos on 26th September 1915, when he went back under heavy fire to assist a wounded man, and, after carrying him to a place of safety, rejoined his platoon. 

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 9th Battalion’s involvement in the Battle of Loos from 25 to 27 September 1915, pages 121-122:

At 8 p.m. on 25 September the 9th Battalion moved off and began to wend its way, in a double line of platoons, across the battlefield of Loos. A steady advance – not towards the 9th Division as originally intended, but in the direction of Vendin-le-Vieil – was maintained, the battalion passing in turn over its own support line, its own front line, the German front line, and the German support line. About midnight the advance was held up, the battalion digging themselves in between that hour and dawn, with the German support line still behind them. At 5 a.m. they were ordered back to that line.
During the forenoon of the 26th an order was received for an attack at 11 a.m. with the 9th Battalion to support the 72nd Brigade, following some 600 yards behind. Unfortunately, however, this order was not received until 11.25 a.m., whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel, passing a message down the line, ordered the battalion to advance immediately. Without hesitation each section mounted the parapet and began pushing forward under heavy artillery fire towards the objective of the previous evening. 
The advance continued until the leading line reached a point about two hundred yards or so beyond the Hulluch-Lens Road where it was definitely checked. At 5 p.m. the right flank began to give way. For three hours the centre held on to the road, and during that time the flanks advanced and retired twice. Then the left flank, coming under a heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of Hulluch, was forced back. Here most of the 9th Battalion’s casualties occurred.
About 2 a.m. on the 27th the battalion was relieved.

The following year the 9th Battalion were involved in the Battle of the Somme. Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 9th Battalion’s attack at The Quadrilateral 13 September 1916:

The battalion took part in an attack by the 61st Division on the Quadrilateral., the 71st Brigade being on the left and the 16th on the right. The 9th Battalion attacked with three companies in the front line and one in support, zero being 6.20 a.m. The battalion got through the German out post line quite easily, but on gaining the open ground, which stretched for about four hundred yards to the enemy’s wire, came under a terrific machine-gun fire from the formidable strong point known as the Quadrilateral. Across this bare expanse the men struggled bravely forward. Lieutenant Macdonald with others getting close enough to throw a bomb into the German stronghold before being wounded. No further progress could, however, be made. At 7.30 a.m. another attack, in which A Company participated, was launched; and in the evening a third. Still no entrance could be effected. The battalion therefore, in touch with the units on both flanks, dug itself in on a line about half a mile in front of the jumping off trenches of the morning.  

The Battalion’s casualties were: officers 2 killed and 10 wounded; other ranks 15 killed and 185 wounded. 

Charles was reported missing and later it was concluded that he had died on, or since, 13-16 September.