Charles Samuel Gooch

A Private with the 8th Battalion. Charles died on 21st of March 1918 at the age of 19. 

Charles was born at Somerleyton on 21 December 1899, a son of Benjamin Charles and Edith Georgina Gooch. He was baptised at Saint Mary's Church, Somerleyton on 5 February 1899 and his family lived at The Street, Somerleyton. By 1911 his family were living at 15 Severn Terrace, Kirkley Run, and later at 57 Oxford Road, Lowestoft.  

Charles enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft, serving initially with the Suffolk Regiment, number 48533. He was transferred to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), service number G/25868, and posted to the 8th Battalion in France.

On 19 March 1918 the 8th Battalion were in the Vadenourt area. Patrolling was carried out during the night of 20-21 March and no abnormal enemy activity was reported. At 4.30 a.m. on 21 March a general bombardment by the enemy commenced. Vadencourt Chateau was heavily shelled with gas shells for six hours. A dense fog hampered vision through to 11 a.m. By 10.30 a.m. it was understand that the enemy had advanced on the battalion’s right, cutting off the two front companies. By 11.30 a.m., as the fog cleared, the enemy could be seen occupying Mareval and Pontru Trench to the battalion’s front. The general advance of the enemy toward Vadencourt and Cookers Quarry now began. Vadencourt was subject to very heavy enfilade and direct machine-gun fire and the enemy attempted to advance across the battalion front, in closed up order, to attack Cookers Quarry: the battalion’s machine-gunners did a lot of effective work to break up that advance. In the afternoon huge numbers of Germans could be seen in front of the battalion and requests for artillery support went unheeded. During the afternoon the enemy’s attempts to take Vadencourt were held up by the battalion. Enemy shelling on Vadencourt was recommenced, but the area provided excellent natural defences and providing the troops to the battalion’s left could hold Cookers Quarry and Cooker Trench the, the commanding officer felt, the battalion could hold the position. At 7.15 p.m. the troops on the battalion’s left retired, leaving both flanks in the air. At 8 p.m. the commanding officer gave the order to withdraw, leaving a strong rearguard at Vadncourt Chateau, which did valuable work and held up the enemy advance for an hour, allowing an orderly withdrawal of the battalion.

The battalion’s casualties on 21 March were:
Officers: four died of gas poisoning; seven missing
Other ranks: 41 killed
The number of men wounded and other ranks missing is not known. 

Charles was reported missing on 21 March and it was later concluded that he had died on, or since, that date.  

Charles in mentioned on Saint Margaret's War Memorial.