Charles Large (1885-1917)

Post date: Jan 22, 2017 8:52:32 PM

Charles Robert Large was born in Nettlestead in the final quarter of 1885. In 1901 he was living with his 5 older siblings, father Henry, a "barrel washer" and mother Alice at the "back of Telegraph [pub]" in what is now Waterside Mews, but then was known as The Gautherns, The Hollow or Gas House Yard (being near to Leney's gas holder). They lived next door to Robert Head who was 4 years younger than Charles and was killed earlier in the war at Messines some 5 miles from where Charles was to be killed.

Charles attended Wateringbury School, but never seems to have got a mention in the school log. By the time of the 1901 census his father had died, his mother and eldest sister were now "laundresses" (or washerwomen) at home. Charles was described as an "ordinary agricultural labourer". In March 1903 he enlisted in the militia, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Kent, and was then aged 17 years and 4 months. He describes himself then as a labourer and Mr. Leney as his master. He was 5' 6¹/₄'' tall , weighed 120 lb with a 36'' chest (fully expanded). He had blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. He was discharged from the militia on 8th May 1905 receiving a payment of £3.

From the 1911 census, when he was still living at the family home, we know that his mother had 7 children born alive but two were dead by 1911 (and probably so by 1891). Their cottage had 3 rooms . Charles was described as a "Dray Man" (historically a dray was a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled by horses, but by this time it would have just been used for brewery delivery men).

Charles' militia service record (1903-5) has survived but not his WWI service record. He does not appear on the vicar's lists of men from the village serving until 1917 so he may have been a conscript. Although the 10th Battalion of the RWK was at the Somme in 1916 it is possible that Charles only joined them when they moved to "the salient" S.E. of Ypres in Flanders for the closing months of 1916 and early 1917. Losses were generally low as the 10th established a very close liaison with the artillery covering the sector.

The Commonwealth War Graves records Charles, aged 31 as one of 624 men buried at Dickebusch New Military Cemetery close to Ypres. He had been killed on the 22nd March 1917.