246516 Pte. Charles Thomas Wood British Army 10th Battalion, A Coy. Cheshire Regiment from:31 Bridgefield Street, Stockport, Cheshire (d.24th April 1916) My maternal grandfather, Charles Wood, died when his daughter Sarah (my mother) was only 18 month's old. His widow, also Sarah, gave me his medal's, Pip Squeak & Wilfred, his Dead Man's Penny & scroll, his Soldier's Little Book when I was 12 year's old. It was this fact that started my lifelong interest in family history. His medal's have his name stamped on the rear, but he is shown as a Lance Corporal, but when he died he was listed as a private.
I cannot find out why he was promoted to Lance Corporal, and I do not know what he did to be returned to the rank of private.
On Easter Sunday 1916, around 7.30.p.m. my grandfather took up a defensive position on the lip of a crater near to Mont St. Eloi with a few of his mates. A German shell exploded near to them, covered them with earth and sadly they were not found until several day's later.
Strangely his name is shown incorrectly on the war memorial local to where he lived, and his date of death is wrong on the larger roll of honour in the Stockport Art Gallery war memorial. I truly wish I had asked more question's about my grandfather and their life together at the tail end of the Victorian era, but I was too young to ask the right questions whilst my Nan was alive. When I was about 12 someone bought her an African Grey parrot, and she called him Charlie Wood. I also have several of the lace postcard's sent by soldier's from the front, and my Grandfather signed his From your loving boy Charles. So I think the parrot was wrongly named.
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