Charles Lewis WISE
Royal Field Artilery 46417
Charles was born and baptised in Woodnewton in 1880. He was the youngest of twelve children. His parents William and Jane (nee Palmer) moved later to Boars Head in the parish of Southwick. Unfortunately, Charles’ father died in 1896, so by the time the 1901 census was taken, Charles was living back in Woodnewton with his mother and sister. In 1911, the three of them were living in part of ‘Stone Cottage’ and Charles’ mother was a registered midwife (it is known from village talk that she was a very good midwife and attended to most of the babies that were born in the village). It is also known that Charles’ occupation was a woodman and that is again confirmed in the 1921 census which records him as being employed by the Apethorpe Estate as a Forestry man.
There are no Attestation papers available, so no information is known as to when he joined the Royal Field Artillery as a driver. However, the ‘Awards and Decorations’ card on Ancestry¹ showed that he disembarked on the 17th February 1915, presumably in France. For this service, he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star² medal.
The next information we have from the Ancestry cards is that Charles was discharged (permanently unfit) on the 21st February 1918. He was awarded the British War medal and Victory medal, so together with the Star medal, they were affectionately known as the Pip, Squeak and Wilfred³ medal .
In July 1919, Charles Married Susannah Wright. Susannah’s father was born in Woodnewton, but as he worked for the Railway, he moved to several different towns, but then retired back in Woodnewton in 1918. Charles and Susannah can be found on the Electoral Roll in Woodnewton until 1927, but after that date no information on them can be found, except Charles death record which is for Huntingdonshire in 1934.
Footnotes
1. www.ancestry.co.uk
2. the 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915.
3. the 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915.
2022