Lieutenant Charles Frederick Wells WAIT
A Company, 10th (Service) Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Date of birth: 9th May 1895
Date of death: 15th July 1916

Died of wounds aged 21
Buried at Dartmoor Cemetery at Bercordel-Becourt Plot I Row F Grave 51
He was born at 27 Clapton Common on the 9th of May 1895 the only son of the Reverend Frederick William Wait MA, Rector of Hasketon, and Charlotte Augusta later of Hasketon Rectory, Woodbridge in Suffolk. He was christened on the 15th of June 1895 at St Thomas’ Church, Clapton Common, Hackney.

He was educated at the King's School Canterbury from September 1910 to July 1914 where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps in which he was a signaller and a bugler, achieving Certificate A on the 25th of November 1913 and reaching the rank of Sergeant in 1914. He attended the annual summer camp at Tidworth in 1914.

He had won a place at Selwyn College Cambridge but instead he applied for a commission in the Suffolk Regiment on the 28th of August 1914 in an application which was supported by Mr McDowall, Headmaster of the King's School Canterbury. He attended a medical examination at Woodbridge where it was recorded that he was five feet nine and a half inches tall, that he weighed 126lbs and that he needed glasses.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 10th (Service) Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on the 19th of September 1914. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 5th of May 1915 and embarked for France with his battalion from Southampton at 8.30pm on the 11th of September 1915 on board the SS "Empress Queen", arriving at Le Havre at 9.30am the following day.

On the 1st of July 1916 the 10th Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry attacked the German lines to the north of the village of Fricourt on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. They crawled into no man’s land at just before 7.30am and moved forward towards their first objective, which was a sunken road about 1,000 yards from the British front line position. They were met with machine gun fire from both Fricourt and from German positions to the south of the village of La Boiselle. At 8am the sunken road was reached and some parties managed to get as far as Crucifix trench some 400 yards beyond. After driving back a German counter attack, at 2.30pm they tried to take Shelter Wood but were forced back by German fire and at 4.35pm they received orders to consolidate their positions. Their casualties were five hundred and two officers and men, killed wounded and missing. Charles Wait was given command of A Company on the 2nd of July.

At 3.45am on the 14th of July the survivors were in action again in support of an attack by 110th Brigade during the Battle for Bazentin Ridge. On the 15th they attacked the enemy held position of “Gird” Trench near the village of Bazentin le Petit. Charles Wait was wounded in this action and was evacuated to 63rd Field Ambulance where he died of his wounds later in the day.

His father received the following telegram dated the 18thof July 1916: -

"Deeply regret to inform you Lieut. C.F.W. Wait K.O. Yorkshire Light Infantry died July 15. The Army Council express their sympathy."

he received a further telegram dated the 27th of July 1916: -

"Lt. C.F.W. Wait Yorkshire Light Infantry previously reported died now reported killed in action."

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Hasketon and on a plaque in St Andrew’s Church, Hasketon.

His brother, Midshipman Percy Arthur Wells Wait RN of HMS Queen Mary was killed in action on the 31st of May 1916.
 

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