242510 Pte. Charles George Brake British Army 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment from:Dorchester My father Charles Brake originally joined the 8th Battalion the Somerset Light Infantry during the early part of 1917 and was transferred to the 1st Battalion the Wiltshire Regiment and demobbed on the 5 March 1919.
Despite being injured on two occasions he was one of the very lucky survivors and lived to the age of 75 years. His war service was never discussed and sadly the precise details of his service and experiences are unknown despite extensive research my myself. Many will be aware that the majority of service records were destroyed during World War 11 and so I have relied on the available books published in relation to both Battalions and extracts from the war diaries.
I have been able to establish the activities and movements of both Battalions during this period also the various Battles including the 3rd Battle of Ypres, Passchendale where interestingly both Battalions were in action and in close proximity with very heavy casualties so perhaps that is when his transfer occurred.
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