smithch

Charles Henry Smith.

Survived the 1st day of the Somme.

CHARLES HENRY SMITH. L/10111. Private. Middlesex Regiment. 4th Battalion. Entered the war: 14/08/1914. Born: about 1887. Poplar, London. In the County of Middlesex. Charles enlisted into the army on the 16th March 1905, Age 18. He was discharged in 1909 and transferred to the reserve. He was called up again in 1913. Charles seems to have been a bit of a lad:

He had Tattoo`s on his forearms, one being a Ladies head. He also got into trouble.

1907: Laughing in the ranks: Drunk on parade at 7.45pm. 168 Hrs Detention.

1907: Breaking out of barracks after tattoo and stating a falsehood to a N.C.o. 96 Hrs Detention.

25th July: Absent from parade at 3.30pm and striking a comrad: 10 days C.B.

12/09/1916: Overstaying his pass from ??. Admonished.

21/12/1916: Absent from midnight till dawn: 168 Hrs Detention.

Charles Smiths medals. he was also awarded the 1914 Star.

4th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment took part in The Battle of the Somme on the 1st July 1916. 7.30am.

63 Brigade. 21 Division.

The Attack on Contalmaison and Fricourt Village by the 21st Division.

The 21st Division was assembled west of the Fricourt to Contalmaison at points between Fricourt and Round Wood. It faced a strong German defence system including Fricourt Farm, Crucifix and Lonely Trenches and the Sunken Road. The triangular shape of Fricourt Wood offered excellent defensive positions. Fricourt itself was well fortified with very deep dugouts, some having two storeys, capable of withstanding the British bombardment. No Man`s Land varied between 200 and 300 meters.

The 63rd Brigade on the right of the 64th , was to take Fricourt Farm. A very heavey Stokes mortar bombardment commenced at 7.22am and four minutes later a smoke screen was laid. At 7.28am the triple Tambour mines were fired. 25,000 lbs, 15,000 lbs and 9,000 lbs. under the German line known as The Tambour strongpoint, just south of the triple explosion.
The mines were a diversion to distract enemy flank fire from the German Tanbour strong point, just south of the triple explosion. The British motar fire had not silenced the enemy machine guns and the two leading companies of the 4th Middlesex, suffered so heavily while creeping forward to their advanced positions in No Man`s Land that they had to return to their trench. They rested only briefly and were out of the trench again before zero hour when the same fire reduced their ranks again. Small groups formed as the survivors struggled on towards the centre section of the Sunken Road. The rear Companies of the Middlesex were to face the same fire. Although the British bombardment had silenced most of the German artillery, the deep dugouts were intact and Fricourt was defended almost entirely by machine gun and rifle fire. The Middlesex attack lost its momentum and small groups of men tried their best to get forward, the dead and wounded, totalling nearly 500, lying in No Man`s Land. Some 40 men of the Middlesex, were to reach the Sunken Road.

Pte Charles Henry Smith of the 4th Battalion the Middlesex Regiment was in the thick of this action and received a gunshot wound to the right forearm. . Pte Smith was evacuated back to England on the 8th of July 1916. He was admited to the Scottish General Hospital with a Gun Shot Wound and complete fracture of the right forearm and spent 118 days in Hospital. Being discharged from hospital on the 04/11/1916.

From 1905 to 1909 he saw sevice in Singapore where he was admitted to hospital 3 times with Malaria and Dysentery.

4th Middlesex took part in the attack at Fricourt on 1 July 1916. They suffered casualties of 19 officers and 521other ranks.