BORN – Oswestry
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / St Oswald’s
EDUCATION – Guild of London Institute
JOB – Printer / Compositor
UNIT – Army Service Corps, 1st Line of Communication Coy
RANK – Corporal S4/144586
THEATRE – Middle East / Basra, Mesopotamia. Army Service Corps, 1st Line of Communication Coy. February 1917
DIED – 9 February 1917. Aged 21.
BURIED – Basra War Cemetery, Mesopotamia. (CWGC)
Charles Henry Roberts was born in 1896 at Oswestry. He was the youngest surviving child of James and Sarah (Annie) Roberts with siblings William, Mary and Edward. The was James’ second marriage; he was originally from Cornwall and came to Oswestry circa 1880 with his first wife Jane and living on Albert Road. Jane died circa 1884 and he married Sarah soon after. The family lived at (53) Castle Street and by 1911 were at 16 Vyrnwy Road. His father worked as a letterpress printer and had a business in Oswestry town, Charles too would become a printer and compositor serving his apprenticeship with Mr RW Roberts of Oswestry and passing first class in the second grade exam for composing of Guild of London Institute. His employer was possibly his elder brother William who also worked as a printer/compositor. His other brother, Edward, worked as an accountancy clerk.
Charles enlisted in July 1915, originally joining the 16 Service Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Llandudno but transferring over to the Army Service Corps the following October. The transfer was facilitated by his elder brother – Private S4/070293 EJ (Edward) Roberts, also in the ASC, who wrote a letter to his C/O explaining that Charles’ pre-war occupation was better suited to the ASC than as an infantry man. Charles took the necessary tests in dictation, copying and arithmetic and was duly transferred. He served as a clerk, at first in the UK and then in October 1916 was posted overseas. He went out to Egypt and, in December 1916, was posted to 1st Line of Communications Supply Company at Basra in modern day Iraq. Early in January 1917 he reported sick complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains. At first he was diagnosed with pleurisy but, after further examination, this was changed to more serious and terminal cancer on his chest. He died on 9 February 1917. An autopsy gave his cause of death as heart failure due to malignant endothelioma contracted whilst on active service. He died at No. 3 British General Hospital Basra(h) and is buried in Basra War Cemetery. He was 21 years old. A telegram arrived at his parent’s house, James and Ann Roberts, on Vyrnwy Road the next week. He is also commemorated on the war memorial at St Oswald’s Church, Oswestry
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