Private Charles Middlemiss

Reg No; 1051245
5th Battalion Canadian Infantry
Saskatchewan Regiment

Killed in Action September 1st 1918 aged 28
Remembered with Honour
Upton Wood Cemetery Grave Ref C 22
Hendecourt-Les-Cagnicourt
St Andrews Church Dalton le Dale
Murton Cenotaph

Born February 24th 1891 in Morpeth Northumberland, son of Charles and Mary Anne Middlemiss of the Vicarage Dalton le Dale

In 1911 Charles aged 20 standing 5ft -1in tall was living and working at a horse racing stable in Whitewall, Malton together with 17 other stable lads

Aged 21, Charles booked passage using a British Bonus on the ‘Empress of Ireland’ owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and Mastered by J V Forster, in Liverpool on the 13th December 1912.

Destination, St Johns New Brunswick, Canada, His intended occupation was farming

April 12th 1915 he was medically examined and passed fit to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

August 27th 1918 the 5th Battalion were billeted in Arras, moving a day or so later to the front line, on August 29th 1916 Charles, was assigned to the front line at the Second Battle of Ypres.

On the night of August 31st operational orders were received to the effect that the 5th Canadians would attack enemy positions at 4.50am.

It would be in this engagement that Charles would fall, he was reported wounded and missing believed killed. The Battalion lost 10 Officers and 250 men.

16th Sept his status now, ‘Killed in Action’. Whilst taking part with his Battalion in an attack North West of Cagnicourt, he was struck in the head by a machine gun bullet and instantly killed