NEGUS, Charles Frank William

Welsh Regiment

PRIVATE 9311

Military Provost Staff Corps T/2267

Brother of George (see below)

SURVIVED (returned to UK following gun shot wound to the right side of his neck but sent back to France a month later)

Charles William Frank Negus was born on 11 July 1887 in Hammersmith. His date of birth was obtained from his death record, he was the only sibling for whom there is no apparent christening record. He was the eldest son of Charles and Helen Elizabeth nee Heath.

On the 1891 census the family are living at 7, Princes Place, Kensington. Charles is aged three. His father is employed as a labourer. There are two older sisters on this census. The family occupied two rooms in a shared house.

By 1901 Charles is resident in Beechholme and is aged fourteen; he was admitted there on the 3rd of October 1899. His younger brother George is with him at this time along with their sister Florence.The Poor Law records show that Charles was an orphan and also that he was adopted. He was discharged from the school to service on the 13th of April 1901.

A report written in 1904 states "Lost sight of this boy. He left the Caledonian Club some time ago. Although we have made enquiries of the Superintendant of Banstead and Charles' sister Ellen Wood of 112, Portland Place with whom the boy lived, but we have failed to hear anything of him."

On the 1911 census Charles is a private in the Welsh Regiment and is stationed at Pembroke. He is twenty-three years old.

His service records state that he was previously employed as an engineer's labourer. He was 5 feet 4 inches tall and had a fair complexion, green eyes and brown hair. He enlisted on 19 March 1907 and according to these records served in South Africa from 1 February 1908 until 21 March 1910.

Charles embarked on 12 August 1914 aboard the Braemar Castle from Southampton for the Western Front. He was part of the 2nd Welsh Regiment.

On 9 November 1914 he was admitted to hospital at Ypres suffering from a gun shot wound to the right side of his neck. From here he was sent back to England presumably for more treatment and a spell of convalescence. His brother George is stated as being a resident of Banstead Schools (Beechholme).

Charles was sent back to France on 12 December 1916 and posted to the 2nd battalion Welsh Regiment. His next of kin was given as his wife Hetty who he had married in December 1914 whilst back in England. Her address was given as 42, Allis Road, Globe Road, Bethnal Green.

From his service records he has several short spells on the sick list and on 15 October is promoted to Acting Sergeant now with the Military Provost Staff Corps.

He was demobbed on 19 May 1919. The 1939 register shows Charles living with his wife and a son at 97, Croppath Road, Dagenham, Essex. His occupation was given as a qualified mental nurse.

Charles died in the March quarter of 1970.

Research by Rachel and Jim Stapleton

SOURCES :- Ancestry

Last updated: 23 Feb 2017

NEGUS, George Henry Reuben

 Lance Sergeant 9926, 2^nd Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Killed in Action 18^th November 1916.

Brother of Mrs. H D Wood of 5 Abbey Road, Notting Hill, London.

Brother of Charles.

George Henry Reuben Negus was baptised on the 13^th of May 1894 at Kensington St James Norlands. He was the youngest child of Charles Negus and Helen Elizabeth nee Heath.  The family had six children, one daughter died under the age of one year. Charles Negus was employed as a labourer. At the time of George’s baptism the family were living at 20 Princes Place. This was one of the most notorious roads and on the Charles Booth poverty map was colour coded blue and  in some parts black. Blue meant the area was poor and had chronic want and black on the map indicated the lowest class, some being vicious criminals.

George’s mother died in 1897, followed the next year by his father.

George was admitted to Beechholme on the 15th of March 1899. The Poor Law records state that George was an orphan and was adopted. His next of kin was given as his sister Ellen or Helen Wood of 112, Portland Road.

George was discharged from the school on the 15th of November 1906 but no further information is given.

By the age of 17 and on the 1911 census George is a bandsman in the 1^st battalion of the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and is stationed in Hong Kong.

At some stage he must have been transferred to the 2^nd battalion as all further records have him in the 2^nd battalion.

George enlisted in London and his qualifying date from his medal index card is the 15^th of January 1915. His rank is given as Corporal on his medal index card but his rank on the citation is given as Lance Sergeant. The rank of Lance Sergeant was a Corporal who was acting in the rank of Sergeant but only being paid as a Corporal.

The 2^nd Kings Own Yorkshire light Infantry were in Dublin when war broke out in August 1914. They proceeded to France with the British Expeditionary Force and landed at Le Havre on the 16^th of August 1914. They transferred to the 97^th Brigade 32^nd Division in December 1915.

George would have been part of a reinforcement of men who arrived in early 1915. His regiment took part in the 2^nd Battle of Ypres and the Capture of Hill 60 and in the summer of 1916 they were involved in fighting on the Somme.

The Battle of the Ancre, 18-19^th of November 1916 was the final phase of the 1^st Battle of the Somme. It involved an attack on the German front line as it crossed the Ancre River, a sector of the front that had first been attacked on the first day of the battle without success.

The attack had originally been planned for October the 15^th as part of the Ancre Heights, but had been postponed repeatedly by bad weather.

By November the original plan had been reducing in scope from an attempt to push the Germans back up to 5 miles along the Ancre, to one for the capture of Beaucourt and push the Germans back at most two miles.This was a strong sector of the German front. The first British objective involved an advance of 800 yards and would require the capture of at least three lines of trenches.  The next target was the German second line, from Serre south to the Ancre. Finally it was hoped to capture Beaucourt on the Ancre.

The attack would be launched by II Corps south of the river and V Corps to the north, with V Corps carrying out the main offensive. The attack immediately north of the river was to be carried out by the 63^rd R.N. Division and would be the first time they had taken part in an attack on the western front.The division captured the German front line despite heavy German resistance. Further north the attack made less progress.

51^st division captured Beaumont Hamel and 2^nd division managed to capture parts of Redan Ridge, but no further progress was made.

The attack was renewed on the 14^th of November. This time Beaucourt was secured after falling at 10.30 am.

One final attack was made on the 18^th/19^th November. This began in snow and sleet and descended into chaos. On the right the 4th Canadian Division captured its first objective but elsewhere little was achieved.

Beaumont Hamel and Beaucourt were captured, but Serre and the northern part of the German line remained untouched. Once again mud intervened to help the defenders, preventing the use of the few available tanks and making all communications difficult. All the early success on the Ancre achieved was the creation of a British held salient which proved to be a very dangerous area to be posted over the winter of 1916/17.

War diary entry :-

18/11/16. Beaumont -Hamel.

“ At 5.15 am on the 18^th inst the battalion was drawn up on an advanced line. The order was A.B.C.D from left to right. The companies were drawn up in company column. All 4 battalions were in the line, our front allotted was 300yards later reduced to 250 yards. Conditions were bad, it began snowing just before the attack and therefore observation was very difficult.

Zero hour of 6.10 am , our barrage was intense. The line advanced with MUNICH TRENCH the first objective, but the right half was held up by intense machine gun and rifle fire. They took up a position in a line of shell holes in front of the German wire. Meanwhile our left went on and gained their final objective after heavy fighting and mopping up as they went along. At this point it was confirmed that left company had gained their first objective and were about to advance to their second. No further definite news was received of the two left companies but believing they must have advanced with their right flank unprotected, all reinforcements were sent to support them. At about 5.30 pm there was still no news of the 2 left companies and with no line to hold the C.O. decided to withdraw to the original line.”

There then follows a long list of Officers who were missing.

19/11/16. “ In the evening the battalion was relieved and returned to billets at MAILLEY_MAILLET.”

There are no further accounts of men, only to say that there had been no further word from the men of the two left companies.

The Munich Trench Cemetery where George was buried is a small cemetery with 98 burials, more were added later, and some are unknown. It contains graves largely of men killed at the Battle of Ancre and there are 15 known Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry men buried here all killed on the same day, the 18^th of November 1916. George lies between another comrade of the same regiment and a soldier of the Loyal North Lancashires killed three days earlier. George was probably buried elsewhere as the notes on the cemetery state that the burials were commenced in the spring of 1917.

His sister was his sole legatee.

GRAVE REF :- MUNICH TRENCH BRITISH CEMETERY, BEAUMONT-HAMEL C.3