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Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada
Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada
CWM 20160175-003
CWM 20160175-003

Private

English, Charles Angus

Unit

Royal Canadian Regiment

Branch

Infantry

Service Component

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Service Number

126419

birth

1888/12/22

Woolwich, Ontario, Canada

death

1916/09/16

France

grave

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France

Gender

Male

Charles Angus English was born in Woolwich, Ontario, on 22 December 1888. The second of William and Elizabeth English’s six children, he married Ida Christena Gibbons in Perth, Ontario, on 2 July 1912.

English stated that his trade was “finisher” when he enlisted in the 71st Canadian Infantry Battalion on 14 September 1915 in Stratford, Ontario. He also noted that he had militia experience, having served three years in the 28th Perth Regiment.

After initial training in Canada, English and his unit embarked for England from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 1 April 1916. Their ship, SS Olympic, docked in Liverpool 10 days later. The 71st Battalion then moved to Oxney Camp, Hampshire. While there, English was transferred to the 74th Canadian Infantry Battalion, which provided reinforcements to units already in the field.

On 8 June 1916, English was sent to France as a reinforcement for the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). Three months later, on 16 September 1916, he was killed in action during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. That day, the RCR had been ordered to attack parts of the Zollern and Fabeck trench systems. Although it met its objectives, in the space of 11 hours (5 p.m. to 4 a.m.), the battalion suffered over 250 casualties. English’s body was not recovered from the battlefield.

Charles Angus English is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.

The Canadian War Museum’s Collection includes the following artifacts for this recipient