Pte Albert Charles Tucker (London Regiment) and Pte Charles Horace Tucker (East Lancashire Regiment)

[Matthew King]

Hello everyone, 

I am interested to find out more about two brother's who died during the First World War. They were the sons of my Great Grandmother's neighbour and she wrote about them often in letter to my Grandfather. 

I have done a bit of research on them and found out their regiments and dates of death. I was interested in what battles they may have fought in and more information about their time in the War. Thanks for any help.

Pte Charles Horace Tucker

Charles served in the East Lancashire Regiment, first the 3rd Battalion and then the 2nd Battalion (18469).

Charles was killed on the 25 September 1915, aged 23 years old. He is buried in Y Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France.

Pte Albert Charles Tucker

Started his service with the 8 Platoon, B Coy, 2/8th Middlesex Regiment (4838)
He then in July 1916 transferred to the London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles), 1st/16th Battalion, "B" Company (8847)

With the 2/8th Middlesex Regiment he was deployed to Egypt on the 24th August 1915. In May 1916 the regiment moved to France and soon after that he transferred regiments.

Albert was killed on the 10th September 1916, he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

 

Here are some extracts from my Great Grandmother letters regarding Albert. Charles had died before she had met their mother. 

"Mrs Tucker has told her boy out in Egypt that you are at the Hospital, if you are allowed visitors you may have Bertie Tucker, and you may not because he is 7 miles from Cairo under Canvas." 21st November 1915

 

"Dear Lionel the lady next door is a chatty little woman, they came from Birmingham, so I got someone to talk to, I get on alright with Mrs Tucker too, the 8th Middlesex has been in action, we are both looking for the postman every Tuesday." 17th January 1916

"I must tell you Mrs Tucker’s boy has just landed in France so they must have went to Egypt on purpose for training. Mrs Tucker did not want him to go there but they have got to go where they are sent. Poor boys, I wish to goodness the war would soon end for it is upsetting nearly the whole world." 22nd May 1916

"How thankful I am, you are still out in Egypt instead of France. Bert Tucker is training hard out there now + Mr + Mrs Tucker doesn’t like the idea of him being a bomb thrower, I told them you were a bomb thrower, I think the 2/8 Middx are on the point of going into the Firing line, what a terrible to do isn’t." 20th June 1916

 

"It is dreadful out in France, I still hope you won’t have to go there, nut of course where ever you are it is nice to have a little leave. I think it was a shame the 2/8th Middx didn’t get home to have a few days leave, they were sent straight from Egypt to France + some of the first batch what went into action is killed, Mrs Tucker’s boy is in another Regt, the Queens W Rifles, I am sending you his address so if you feel incline to write to him you can, he is Rifleman A Tucker now, I had to laugh at Mrs Tucker last week, she was so worried because she did not hear for 11 day from him + she read in the paper that the Middx was under very heavy fire + it made her say I wish he never joined the Middx, that was Friday of last week when on Monday she had a letter to say he was in another Regt, he is quite well." 11th July 1916

 

"Mrs Tucker heard from her boy again on Friday& he had been in the trenches then." 18th July 1916

"I don’t think I told you that Bert Tucker is a Lewis Machine Gunner & he is doing his bit now in the fighting in France, they keep advancing don’t they, Mrs Tucker got a job to keep her nerve up, Daisy said that the soldiers are having leave again now, so perhaps Mrs Tucker may have her boy home of a little while." 14th September 1916

"Mrs Tucker is worried about her Bert, she never heard all last week & he is in the fighting as far as she knows, I hope she soon hears as I know tis a terrible trial if you don’t hear." 19th September 1916

 

"I do wish Mrs Tucker’s boy hadn’t left Egypt, for they have got a Report from the War Office to say that he has been missing since 10th Sept, it is bad news for them & my head is bad with thinking so much, I am a day behind with writing this letter for you for I ought to have written it yesterday but my eyes & head were dreadful, with the word missing you know something has happened but don’t know what, there is the hope of him being a Prisoner of War, that may be bad, but it is better than losing his life, if the Lord will be merciful & spare his life, they may have to wait a long time to learn any news, it was 3 weeks from the time they had his letter that they had the news from the War Office, Mr Tucker is cut up about it, quite as much as Mrs." 4th October 1916

 

"Oh if Mrs Tucker could hear from her dear boy it would mean new life for her & Mr Tucker too, it is 5 weeks since he wrote & Mrs T have had a letter from Bert’s mate saying he saw him hit & that he never suffered any pain, but he called Bert George so I do not know if he means Bert or is making a mistake, a wounded men in a Lincoln Hospital wrote to Mrs Tucker & said he saw him move a few yard away & never saw him after, that was on the morning of the 10th Sept & as it was pretty hot with shells, he thinks the worst must have happened, neither letter gives proper evidence of his death, Mr & Mrs Tucker don’t think it is any more use to hope. I have been hoping that he might be a Prisoner of War for I can’t bear to think anything has happened to him, I wish he had never left Egypt, Dear Lionel the loses are enormous out in France." 17th October 1916

 

"Dear Lionel the few items I have to tell you I am afraid isn’t very good news but still there it is we can’t get away from the facts, first I must tell you that I do really think Mrs Tucker’s boy has gone under, for a report from the Record Office came yesterday morning to say he was Killed in Action, it is very terrible isn’t it." 5th December 1916

[Matthew King]

Should have googled them first. There is a whole page on Charles Horace Tucker. 

https://www.cwgc.org/stories/stories/private-charles-horace-tucker-2nd-battalion-east-lancashire-regiment/

[Matlock1418]

6 hours ago, Matthew King said:

I was interested in what battles they may have fought in and more information about their time in the War.

Matthew,

Although it i is very unlikely they were mentioned by name you may get a general idea from reading the respective War Diaries

CHT = 2 Battalion East Lancashire Regiment https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352489

ACT = 1/16 Battalion London Regiment (Queen's Westminsters) https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354946

Curently free to download from TNA [after free registration]

M