260156 Charles Edmund "Boy" Benfield British Army 1st Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment from:Alderney, Channel Islands My father, Charles Benfield never spoke about the war. The first my family knew was when the people of Alderney Island were asked to put their name forward if they had taken part in the D-Day landings. Only then did our mother tell us that dad had been on Gold Beach. The veterans were presented with a medal from France to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. My brother received it on behalf of my father, as he was not well enough to make the journey.
I researched dad’s army history, contacting the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester, which put me in touch with Christopher Jary, and I got dad’s army papers from the Ministry of Defence. I was amazed at the places he had been, and what he had done in his short army career.
Dad had taken part in the three assault landings. Then he was wounded by mortar splinters on the 14th June, when the Dorsets were attacking through woods. He was bought back to the UK then, back to his home in Alderney, and he never returned to his regiment.
After Alderney was liberated from German occupation, Dad worked on the land for a few years. Afterward, he was the manager for a grit and gravel company. Dad was happily married for 49 years and had 9 very proud children.
I have emailed some photos to Christopher Jary to put in the Museum, and I am looking forward to visiting the Museum sometime this year.
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