THIS week 100 years ago the First World War was still grinding on with Redditch soldiers in the frontline fighting and dying for their country.
Charles Freeman and Victor Gale were two such soldiers who found themselves on the frontline in the bloody Battle of Arras.
Charles had worked as a cycle enameller before enlisting.
He was born in 1896, the eldest child of Benjamin, a bricklayer, and Elizabeth Freeman’s seven children. According to the census of 1901 they were living in Welford Street, but by 1911 had moved to 5 Marsden Road, which still stands today.
He joined 12th (Service)(Bristol) Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment – the Glorious Glosters – and by May 1917 his unit was deep in the Battle of Arras as the British pushed up towards the entrenched German positions on the Hindenburg Line.
Victor Gale meanwhile served as a private in the 14th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment – also known as the famous 1st Battalion of the Birmingham Pals.
He was born in 1890, the son of Thomas and Hannah Gale who lived in Foregate Street, Astwood Bank. He was one of four children and his father ran his own business as a cart man transporting goods.
Like so many soldiers, it is not known how either Charles or Victor died, only that their respective units had been heavily involved in the Third Battle of the Scarpe from May 3-4, 1917, an engagement fought along a small river just to the east of Arras.
However the losses were so heavy among the attacking British soldiers that the assault had to be called off after just one day.
It is likely they were wounded in this battle or reported ‘missing’ – Victor has no known grave – and their deaths were given as May 8.
Otherwise they may well have been killed while out patrolling beyond No Man’s Land.
Charles is remembered on the St Stephen’s war memorial and Victor on the Arras Memorial in France and on the Astwood Bank war memorial.
The Battle of Arras (April 9 to June 16, 1917) after a promising start, bogged down into a costly slog for little gain, British casualties, killed, wounded, missing, for the entire 37 day campaign reaching more than 142,000 soldiers.
With thanks to Remembering Redditch’s Fallen Heroes, www.birminghampals.co.uk, www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ .
