C ANTHONY - 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps

[Paul Johnson]

Charles ANTHONY - Sergeant - 5627 - 2nd Battalion. Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Died Of Wounds on the 3rd April 1916 aged 29

Buried in the Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France.

Charles was one of seven brothers serving in the services during the First World War of whom one other, Frank, was also killed. He was first posted to France on the 2nd November 1914 and served continuously on the Western Front.

Can any KRRC experts please tell me what the Battalion were doing at the time of his death.

Thank You

PAUL JOHNSON

[mwsmith]

Charles ANTHONY - Sergeant  - 5627 - 2nd Battalion. Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Died Of Wounds on the 3rd April 1916 aged 29

Buried in the Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France.

Charles was one of seven brothers serving in the services during the First World War of whom one other, Frank, was also killed. He was first posted to France on the 2nd November 1914 and served continuously on the Western Front.

Can any KRRC experts please tell me what the Battalion were doing at the time of his death.

Thank You

PAUL JOHNSON

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Paul,

My Grandfather was a CSM in 2KRRC throughout the war. From the Battalion diary ' April 1st to 5th 1916. Our billeted area in Les Brebis was shelled, but there were no casualties, and the next day we moved up into support line releiving the 1st Gloucesters. A mine blown up in the Hulluch sector brought on some firing which caught the transport coming down the Loos road, and caused some casualties'

Perhaps this was the incident you are interested in.

Mike

[Paul Johnson]

Mike,

Thanks for the response and sorry for the late reply.

Looks like this was the cause as it has also been suggested by another Forum member.

Thank You.

Regards

PAUL JOHNSON

[Guest sylviacrooks]

Charles ANTHONY - Sergeant - 5627 - 2nd Battalion. Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Died Of Wounds on the 3rd April 1916 aged 29

Buried in the Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France.

Charles was one of seven brothers serving in the services during the First World War of whom one other, Frank, was also killed. He was first posted to France on the 2nd November 1914 and served continuously on the Western Front.

Can any KRRC experts please tell me what the Battalion were doing at the time of his death.

Thank You

PAUL JOHNSON

Paul,

Charles Anthony is one of the men listed on the Cenotaph in Nelson, British Columbia. I have done some research on these men, and thought you might be interested in what I have collected. My file is copied below. If you can fill in any gaps for me I would greatly appreciate it.

Sylvia

ANTHONY, Sergeant Charles (On Nelson Cenotaph as C. Anthony)

Regimental Number: 5627

Military Unit: King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Battalion, B.E.F.

Date of Death: 3 April, 1916

Age at Death: 29

Place of Burial: Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

Medals:

Attestation:

Previous Military Experience: Served in King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Date and Place of Birth:

Occupation:

Residence: Riondel

Next of Kin: Lucy Maria Anthony (Wife)

Religion:

Marital Status: Married

Newspaper items; Letters; Other information:

Also listed on a memorial at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.

Stevenage At War [web site], The Great War:

Died of wounds on 3rd of April, 1916, aged 29. Charles was one of seven brothers serving in the services during the First World War of whom one other, Frank, was reported as Missing in Action on the 19th January 1917. Charles was first posted to France on the 2nd November 1914 and served continuously on the Western Front. On 3rd of April 1916 the Battalion were positioned at Les Brebis. It is believed that Charles was wounded when transport moving along the Loos Road was shelled by German artillery.

The King’s Royal Rifle Corps Chronicle, 1916, p. 72:

Loos area—April 1—Our billeting area in Les Brébis was shelled, but there were no casualties, and the next day we moved up into support line relieving the 1st Gloucesters. A mine blown up in the Hulluch sector brought on some firing which caught the transport coming down the Loos Road, and caused some casualties.

The Daily News (Nelson), December 9, 1915:

Corp. Anthony was a reservist and re-joined his old regiment in England shortly after the outbreak of the war and went to the front in October 1914. He was for 2 years employed at the Bluebell Mine in Riondel, and was captain of the Riondel football team for the season of 1914.

From a letter to a friend in Riondel (dated Oct. 31/15), published in The Daily News:

“I know you must have read of the great advance made by the French and us on Sept. 25. I want to tell you about the great battle as I went through it all up to Oct. 13. The Germans on all parts of their line were very strongly entrenched and their positions fortified, having held them for 10 months. We had the usual four days’ bombardment, with artillery of all calibers, and on the morning of Sept. 25 all were eagerly awaiting for the order to advance. At 6 o’clock in the morning the order came through and the way the boys climbed the parapets and advanced to what seemed certain death was something to talk of. Thinking over the thing now, when I am here billeted and away from the sound of the guns, I wonder how it was that the Germans gave way to us, and yet while I still wonder, I know. It was the determination of our men who were out to win no matter what the cost. I have since heard that my battalion, the 2nd K.R.R.’s, was the first to move in the big advance. We had about 600 yards to go before we came to the enemy’s barbed wire. Of this they had three lines. First a trip wire and two lines eight yards in depth and 15 yards apart. Our boys actually swung their rifles on their shoulders as if setting out on a route march and our officers well to the front heading their companies. Such spirit as this must surely win the war. All went well with us until we came to their first line of entanglement wire, which was only slightly damaged by our artillery, and it was while we were trying to force our way through this that the enemy discovered our move and opened a rapid fire with rifles, machine guns and hand grenades by the hundred. On right and left of us, of course, other battalions were advancing, but we did not know how they were faring. One does not know much about the other fellow in a big thing like this. The Germans were pouring a most terrible fire on us and we had the order to retire. We came back to where we started from had a rally and advanced again. We got up to the entanglement but could not make it under such a hail of bullets, and had to retire again. Once more, we rallied and advanced. By this time we were very much weakened, our losses were very heavy and we had again to retire, but at the fourth time up we managed to dislodge them, and after many hours of facing death and having trying times we captured their first and second lines of trenches and about 800 prisoners. Both our flanks had advanced and gained ground, capturing many prisoners. We formed up after this and skirmished across open country, taking up all the enemy’s positions, 3000 yards in depth on a five-mile front. This was the greatest victory for the allies since the war began. You can guess our losses were heavy after under a murderous fire for 10 hours. My battalion alone lost 650 rank and file and many officers. I think we lost more men than any other individual regiment, but all lost heavily. The price was dear, but we gained our objective. I had done some big fighting before this big move, being in the thickest of the scrap when the Kaiser was on his way to Calais (I don’t think), but this beat anything I had been in previously and I could go on indefinitely almost telling you of the days between Sept. 25 and Oct. 13. I am at present billeted here about 17 miles from the “Bocks” and we are having quite a good time. I have had two games of football since I came here. We won one and drew another. I was pleased to hear you again had a football team at Bluebell, and look forward to your next letter telling me of the game with Nelson. Both teams will have quite a different personnel to what they had when I was one of the boys. I do look forward eagerly to the time when the war is over and I am back again among the old bunch. I have not seen anyone I knew in the pre-war days, although I have been trying ever since the Canadians came here. Give my kind regards to all the old bunch who may be back at Bluebell, also any of the Nelson and Trail boys whom you may run across. ”