Private Charles W.G. GORDON (15161)
2nd Battalion Scots Guards

Date of birth: 14th August 1895
Date of death: 25th September 1916

Killed in action aged 21
Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial Panel and Face 7 D
He was born at Cardow, Knockando on the 14th of August 1895 the fourth son of James (a distillery worker) and Hellen Gordon later of 4 Victoria Terrace Aberlour.

He was educated at Knockando Public School and worked as a prison warder at Duke Street Prison in Glasgow before enlisting into the Scots Guards at Glasgow on the 10th of December 1915.

On the 25th of September 1916 the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards were part of an attack on the village of Lesboeufs as part of the ongoing Somme offensive. Their objective was to capture the village and push on to the village of Gneudecourt beyond.

They attacked at 12.35pm under a barrage that was aimed to be 100 yards in front of them and proceed at 50 yard distances every minute, giving the Guardsmen time to mop up the surviving enemy. The German front line was some 300 yards across no-mans land and the Guards captured the German front trench where they took some prisoners and met little resistance. The 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards, on their left, ran into a German strong point and G Company of the Scots Guards also took heavy casualties from this position. The remaining Scots on the right continued their advance and in all covered around 700 yards before reaching a sunken road where they began to dig in. Most of the casualties of the Guards were incurred during the digging in when they came under a deadly and sustained counter barrage from the German artillery. They advanced still further later in the day where they dug in and were re-supplied by a mule train.

During the fighting Charles Gordon was killed by a shell, having been in France for a month.
Cardow

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