Pte 235243 Charles Monks

• Age: 19
• From: Bolton, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• D.O.W Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Charles Monks was born in 1898 and resided in Bolton and was the son of Matthew  Monks and his wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Halliwell) who where married in 1891 at All Saints Church, Bolton.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 39, Todd Street, Bolton, Lancashire. His father, Matthew, is aged 36, born in Bolton in 1865 and employed as a machine minder in a cotton mill, his mother, Elizabeth Ann is aged 31, born 1870 also in Bolton as were their two children, Annie aged 9, born 1892 and Charles aged 3, born 1898. 

His mother died aged 38 in the September quarter of 1908. 

The 1911 Census shows Charles living at 24 Lark Street, Bolton Lancashire. The head of the household is Catherine Monks a widow aged 78, born 1833 in Bolton. Charles' father, Matthew, is now a widower and is aged 47, and employed as a cotton spinner. His daughter Annie aged 18 is a fly tenter and son Charles aged 13 is employed as a little piecer. Matthew’s two brothers Charles and Benjamin also reside at the address.

His father and uncle featured in an article in the Manchester Evening News on 11th May 1914:

BOLTON BETTING RAID

Plenty of Money Found.

At Bolton, to-day, Benjamin Monks (36) described as a bookmaker, of 24, Lark-street, Matthew Monks (51), a spinner of the same address; and Walter Sawyer (32), a joiner of 7 Hurst-street, were charged with being 'found on the premises 24, Lark-street, which it was alleged were used as a betting house. Defendants pleaded guilty.

Benjamin Monks was fined £10 and costs each of the two cases, and the other two defendants were bound over for 12 months.

Charles enlisted in Bolton and originally served as Private 203622 of the Yorkshire Regiment and was serving in the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 235243 when he died of wounds, aged 19, on the 31st July 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres.

19^th Battalion

The 19^th Battalion started the day in Divisional Reserve but were called forward in the early morning of 31^st July and reached Maple Copse in late afternoon. It was originally detailed to continue with the morning’s attack but this was cancelled and they eventually relieved a Battalion of the 53^rd Brigade in the newly captured line, sustaining casualties from shell fire.

The Battalion was relieved on the night of 3^rd/4^th August.

Although not actively engaged in the assault the Battalion lost 26 men killed or died of wounds with four officers and 101 men wounded.    

Charles' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to father Matthew.

His father Matthew, dob 24th Aug 1864, is recorded on the 1939 register still at 26 Lark St. with married James (b.1887) and Margaret(b.1889) Monks.

He died aged 75 in the June quarter of 1940.

We currently have no further information on Charles Monks, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.