252037 Pte. Charles Wootton British Army 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment from:Amesbury, Wiltshire Very little was known about my grandad Charles Wootton until I researched him. I do know he enlisted at Devizes, on the 14th of January 1913. After a period of training he embarked for France with the Battalion on 5th of October 1914, being part of the BEF or known best as the contemptible army.
He disembarked at Zeebrugge in Belgium on the 7th of October, the the Battalion who marched or in some cases travelled by bus to the Ypres.
They left Ypres on the 15th October headed for the Menin Road where they rested for the night.
Next day they headed for the woods near Becelare, and after several days of bloody fighting, Charles was captured on the 24th October.
He was in detained by German forces at the camp Gottingen and listed there by the Red Cross on the 13th January 1915,then listed again at Langensalza camp on the 23rd Feb 1917.
Eventually he was repatriated as a prisoner of war at Leith 31st of Dec 1918.
Charles went on to marry Kate and had six children, my Dad being one of them. He had a love for cricket & every Sunday as a child we'd see him in his chair at South Wilts Cricket Club in Salisbury.
He never talked about the war, but my Auntie said he sat outside with old comrades playing old military tunes through their hands & guessing what they were and talking about old times. He passed away in 1969, a lovely man.
He was awarded three medals, the 1914 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
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