CHARLES DAVID BROWNSEY, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Regiments

[AdrianC]

CHARLES DAVID BROWNSEY - 3276 1st/4th Gloucestershire Regiment/40541 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment kia 12th April 1918

The folowing information came with the Victory Medal for this man -

Wounded 21st June 1916/Wounded 5th January 1917/ 8th February 1917 to 24th February 1917 9th Ambulance Train/Wounded 29th August 1917

I have attempted to confirm this information online Ancestry/FindMyPast but have been unsuccessful. I would appreciate any help or advice on any other sources. Thank you in advance.

Adrian

 

 

[Allan1892]

The only item that I can find (so far) is that he was admitted to the No 34 Casualty Clearing Station on the 8th February 1917 suffering from trench feet. He was transferred out on the 24th February via No 9 Ambulance Train. According to the Long, Long Trail, No 34 CCS was based at Grovetown (Somme) at this time.

(image courtesy of Find My Past)

[gunnerwalker]

I can fill in some of his early life and service information with the Gloucestershire Regiment.

Charles David Brownsey. Born 23rd March 1889. In the 1911 Census he was a corporation lamp lighter and living at 23 Emlyn Road, Greenbank, Bristol.

His service number 3276 suggests he enlisted in the first half of November 1914. I'm not sure exactly where he enlisted but the 4th Gloucestershire Regiment where headquartered on Queens Road, Clifton at that time, though they had a company drill hall in St. George which wouldn't have been far from Charles' home. Further prominent central Bristol recruiting offices could be found at Colston Hall and the Guildhall on Broad Street. The 4th Gloucesters received 500 new recruits in November 1914 alone. 

A couple of streets over from Emlyn Road, on Mivart Street, was the headquarters of the 8th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers who had taken up billets there in November 1914.

The 1/4th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment proceeded to France on 31st March 1915. Charles Brownsey's date of entry shows as 25th June 1915, at which time the battalion was in trenches at Ploegsteert and were just about to move back to billets in brigade reserve. The War Diary shows they took in a handful of reinforcements in the first week of July, so this is likely when he joined them. They spent nearly all of July out of the line, firstly in billets and then the last ten days in bivouac in Warnimont Wood. On the 31st July they returned to trenches at Colincamps.

In the first quarter of 1916 he married Edith Taylor in Bristol. She lived at 67 Bishop Road, Bishopston. 

In mid-June 1916 the 1/4th Gloucesters, with the rest of the 48th Division, were in 8th Corps reserve and bivouacked at Couin. They hadn't been in the front lines since the 2nd June and didn't return to a trench until the 8th July, so it's probable Charles was already with the 3rd Worcesters by this point to have been wounded on the 21st June.  The only mention in the War Diary for the 1/4th Gloucesters on that day was a party detailed to carry 100 gas cylinders up to a front line trench near the Hebuterne--Serre road, with no casualties or sign of enemy activity.

Edited 26 February by gunnerwalker

[AdrianC]

Thank you @Allan1892 & @gunnerwalker for the information it is much appreciated. I have his birth date as 23rd March 1887?

[gunnerwalker]

2 hours ago, AdrianC said:

Thank you @Allan1892 & @gunnerwalker for the information it is much appreciated. I have his birth date as 23rd March 1887?

Yes you're right with 1887, that was just poor maths from me.