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Captain Charles Eric Smart LOXLEY
Essex Regiment attached to the 29th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) Date of birth: 7th March 1896 Date of death: 18th December 1918 Died aged 22 Buried at Cairo War memorial Cemetery Row Q Grave 195
Charles Eric Smart Loxley was born at Surbiton on the 7th of March 1896 the younger son of Herbert Charles Loxley, a gentleman, of Surbiton and Frances Emily (nee Sergeant later Bayliss) Loxley later of 15 Loundoun Road, St John’s Wood in London. He was christened at St Mark's Church, Surbiton on the 22nd of April 1896. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Heads House from January 1910 to July 1912. He was in the Swimming Team in 1911 and 1912 being Captain in 1912. He was a Sergeant in the Officer Training Corps. On leaving school he worked as a commercial traveller. Following the outbreak of war he applied for a commission at Chichester on the 14th of August 1914. His application form contained a reference of good character signed by the Reverend Bowlby, Head Master of Lancing. The form was also countersigned by his mother as he was underage. Unable to wait for a commission he enlisted at Brighton as Private 3555 in the 19th (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (2nd Public Schools), University and Public Schools Corps. He was discharged on the 18th of September 1914 and passed his medical at Epsom on the 2nd of October 1914 where it was recorded that he was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 159lbs also that he had blue eyes, and chestnut hair. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on probation in the on the 27th of October 1914 and transferred to the Machine Gun Corps with the rank of Lieutenant on the 29th of May 1916. On the 26th of October 1916 he embarked at Southampton and landed at Salonika on the 6th of November. He was posted to the 29th Company, Machine Gun Corps on the 8th of November and arrived at the base depot on the 12th. On the 23rd of November 1916 he joined his Company in the field. On the 3rd of June 1917 he was admitted to hospital following a fall from his horse and a court of enquiry was established by order of Brigadier General R.S. Vandeleur " For the purpose of investigating the circumstances under which Lt C.E.S. Loxley, 29th M.G.C. sustained certain injuries." It was convened on the 5th of June at the 32nd Field Ambulance where Loxley was being treated and a number of statements were taken to establish what had happened two days earlier. Statement of Lieutenant C.E.S. Loxley:- "On the Sunday the 3rd inst. I was proceeding on horseback from Elisan. I had been on official business at Coy HQ towards Dolap Farm; in the vicinity of No. 14 Works my horse stumbled and threw me. It was between 19.00 and 19.30 hours. At the time I was in charge of the machine guns at No. 14 Works in the Elisan-Barakli-Dzuma line." Statement of Captain W.E. Adams RAMC attd 6th Royal Warks:- "I was riding with Lieutenant Loxley on the evening of June the 3rd from Elisan to Dolap Wood. I was riding in front and we were going at a canter. In the neighbourhood of No. 14 Works I became aware that Lieutenant Loxley was not riding behind me as I did not hear is horse's hoofs. I looked around and saw a riderless horse trotting towards me, and Lieutenant Loxley walking towards me, in the same direction holding his left shoulder. On medical examination I found a swelling over the left collar bone, the left arm could be moved with difficulty. There was distinct crepitus to be felt. In my opinion there was a fracture of the left scapula. Such a fracture could be caused by a fall from a horse." Statements were taken from 2nd Lieutenant Semple, Royal Irish Rifles and from Captain R.D. Attwood RAMC, 32nd Field Ambulance but gave the same story as above. The recommendation of the enquiry was that he was on duty at the time and that it had been accident and on the 12th of June he was officially exonerated by the Commanding Officer of the 29th Company:- "I am of the opinion that Lieut Loxley was on duty at the time and that he was in no way to blame." On the 9th of June he was admitted to 18 Stationary Hospital and he was discharged on the 27th of June, rejoining his unit in the field the following day. On the 12th of September 1917 he embarked at Salonika and disembarked in Alexandria, Egypt on the 18th of September. On the 17th of November 1917 he was admitted to a Field Ambulance with septic sores. He was passed on to the 21st Stationary Hospital on the 20th of November, arriving back at his Company's depot on the 18th of December and rejoining his Company on Christmas Day. He was promoted to Acting Captain on the 16th of February 1918 and on the 19th of March he was posted to the 10th Divisional Machine Gun Battalion. On the 28th of March 1918 he was sent on an instructor's course, returning to his unit on the 3rd of May. He transferred to the Essex Regiment on a permanent commission with the rank of Lieutenant on the 25th of June 1918 to rank from the 1st of December 1916. On the 12th of December 1918 Charles Loxley was admitted to the 88th General (Nasrish School) Hospital in Cairo with "slight" influenza . He died four days later of bronchial pneumonia His mother received the following telegram dated the 21st of December 1918:- "Deeply regret Lt C.E.S. Loxley MGC died of pneumonia Dec eighteenth at Alexandria--Army Council express sympathy". He also served in France and Palestine and was mentioned in despatches twice, once in General Sir E.H.H. Allenby's despatches of the 3rd of April 1918. His mother applied for his medals in November 1920. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Eastbourne and on the memorial at Hove Library in Sussex.

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