Pte 29699 Charles Lewis Blake

When Charles was aged five his mother, Ellen, died aged 25 in the December quarter of 1889.

 

The 1891 Census shows Charles as a scholar, aged 7, living with his widowed father, Richard J., a 47 year old weight clerk, at 81 Molyneux Road, West Derby alongside his sibling Louisa Mary aged 4 and also the married sister of his late mother Elizabeth Sayle and her two daughters Jessie and Bertha Sayle

 

By the time of the 1901 Census his father, John R., aged 58 and a warehouseman (oil stores) has moved the family to 12 St John's Road, Waterloo. Charles aged 16 is shown as a warehouse clerk probably working with his father, his sister Louisa Mary is also present. His aunt Elizabeth and cousin Bertha are also in the household.

 

Charles's father died in the September quarter of 1910 aged 67.

 

The April 1911 Census shows Charles, now aged 27, and still a warehouse clerk, as a lodger with the Denny family at 16 Warburton Road, Seaforth. Samuel Denny the head of that household is also a warehouse clerk so presumably they were work colleagues. His sister Louisa Mary Blake aged 24 has moved into service for a solicitor in Manchester.

In the September quarter of 1912 Charles married Sarah Anne Hodgson in Liverpool. On 26th October 1912 they had a son, Frank Richard Blake.

 

Charles enlisted in Liverpool in about May 1915, joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 29699. He arrived in France, most likely in early 1916.

On 31st July 1916, aged 31, he died of wounds at one of the field dressing stations positioned near Corbie. His wounds were from action the previous day at Guillemont.

The 19th Battalion diary records the events of 30th July as follows:

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.  

His death was announced in the local press on 14th August 1916:

"July 31, from wounds received in action, aged 31 years, Charles Lewis ("Pals"), the dearly-loved husband of S. Blake (nee Hodgson), late of Alexandra Road, Crosby, and only son of the late Richard John Blake, Waterloo."

Charles now rests at Dive Copse British Cemetery at Sailly Le Sec, France.

Dive Copse Cemetery, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, is 13 miles southwest of Guillemont.  In June 1916, before the Somme offensive, the ground north of the cemetery was chosen for a concentration of field ambulances, which became the XIV Corps Main Dressing Station.  Dive Copse was a small wood close by, under the Bray-Corbie road, named after the officer commanding this station. Plots I and II were filled with burials from these medical units between July and September 1916.  Plot III contains the graves of 77 men who died in August 1918 as well as graves brought in from scattered sites and small cemeteries in the area.  The cemetery now contains 589 burials and commemorations of the First World War, 29 of which are unidentified but there are special memorials to 10 casualties known to be buried among them.  

His soldiers arrears of pay of £2:5s was sent to Sarah Anne on 27th November 1916.

A year later on 30th July 1917 under the heading, “Lost at Battle of Guillemont” an emotional Memoriam notice was placed in the Liverpool Echo by his widow Sarah Anne and his son;

"In revered and loving memory my dearly beloved husband, Private Charles Lewis Blake (19th KLR) who succumbed July 31 1916, from wounds received in action the previous day. (An everlasting memory of a great sacrifice.....Greater love hath no man.) Widow and little son Frank.  


A pension of 15 shillings a week from February 1917, changed to an Alternative Pension of £1-5s in December 1918 was awarded to his widow Sarah. In 1917 Sarah lived at 36 Witham Avenue, Great Crosby, and later moved to the Manchester area. 

On 28 March 1919 a dependents pension was awarded to Sarah Anne and her son Frank until his 16th Birthday in October 1928.  A War Gratuity of £4 was also paid on 23rd September 1919.