Charles Kingston (1878-1917)
Heworth man died of wounds fighting with AIF at Polygon Wood, '2 broken pipes' among his meagre possessions
Charles Kingston was fatally wounded on 27 September 1917. He had been back with his unit for only 11 days, having just recovered from another wound received in June of that year.
Charles was born in June 1878 in the Heworth area of Felling. He was the second child of Fred Kingston and his wife, Sarah Ann (nee Bell). The parents had a total of eight children but suffered the heartache of two dying very young: Louisa just a year old, Robert at two. Fred was from Halton, Cheshire. He was a labourer in the chemical industry in Felling but by 1891 he had left to build a new life for his family in Queensland (QLD), Australia. In the 1891 census, Sarah is listed as the head of the house, a paper miller; at the age of 12, Charles had left school and was working in the mining industry.
Sarah and her children arrived in Brisbane on 8 December 1892 on board the “India” out of London. They joined Fred in Charters Towers, Northern Queensland, which was a centre of gold mining at the time. Charles joined his dad in the mines.
Charles was 39 years old when he enlisted as a private in the 49th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 7 October 1916, in Cairns. Just six weeks later, he found himself embarking for Europe from Brisbane on the “Marathon”, along with other men of the 7th Reinforcements.
Charles arrived in Plymouth on 9 January 1917, and after further training in Codford, he proceeded to France four months later.
In June of that year, the Battalion was sent into the attack at the Battle of Messines, where they encountered German pillboxes for the first time. The German machine gun fire was so intense that heavy casualties were suffered, with many more injured by their own artillery. Charles was among the 379 casualties of his battalion, wounded in the left shoulder on 7 June. He was evacuated back to the Fort Pitt Hospital in Chatham.
A telegram was sent to the family back in Australia but was returned unopened as Fred had moved without informing the authorities. The first the family knew of Charles’ injuries was in the casualty lists in the local newspaper.
Three months later, Charles returned to his battalion. It was 16 September 1917. Just 11 days later, he was back in action in Polygon Wood, during the Third Battle of Ypres. He was shot in the abdomen and was rushed to the Second Canadian Casualty Clearing Station but died later that day of his wounds.
Charles was buried at the Lyssenthock Military Cemetery two miles from Poperinghe, France. A parcel was sent back to Australia containing Charles’ meagre possessions: 1 disc, 4 badges, 2 knives, a comb, razor and 2 pipes (broken). Fred was also granted his son’s war pension, a mere 15 shillings [75p] to be paid fortnightly.
Civil Parish: Heworth
Birth date: 1878
Death date: 27-Sep-1917
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: Heworth Lane, Heworth, Felling (ecclesiastical parish of St Mary 1881census)
Nether Heworth, Heworth (1891 census)
Employment: Miner
Family: Parents: Frederick Clarke Kingston (1850-1927), Sarah Ann Kinston (nee Blake 1855-1913)
Siblings: Ellen Jane Kingston (b 1876), Louisa Kingston (1878-79), Robert Kingston (1883-86), Catherine “Kate” Kingston (1885-1934), Agnes Kingston (1886-1955), Emily Kingston (1897-1977)
Military service:
Service Number 2929
Private in the 49th Battalion, AIF
Enlisted: 07-Oct-1916 at Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Memorial(s): Lyssenthock Military Cemetery two miles from Poperinghe, France
Gender: Male
Contributed by Kelloe Visitor, Trimdon Station