Investigations of a Dog

90 years ago today Private Charles Wenham of 10th Lincolnshire Regiment died. He was almost certainly the brother of my great-grandfather William A. Wenham (I’ve posted about William’s experiences in the Great War here and here).

Charles Wenham was born in Grimsby in 1887. In 1901 he was living with his family in Rutland Street and working as an errand boy. In 1912 he married Ethel Lovejoy, who was recorded as living at 24 Neville Street during the war.

Charles served as a private in 10th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (Grimsby Chums). His service number 28180 means he is unlikely to have been an original chum, and so probably wasn’t with them at the Somme. He served overseas after the end of 1915, qualifying for the War and Victory medals (see medal card). At some point he was wounded in action, but so far we have no details of when or where. William’s letters imply that he might have been wounded in March or April 1917, possibly at the first battle of the Scarpe. He was brought back to England and died of wounds at Leicester Military Hospital on 17th November 1917. His body was brought home and buried in Cleethorpes cemetery on 21st November. This is how his death was reported in the Grimsby Daily Telegraph on 20th November:

WENHAM. On 17th inst., at Leicester Military Hospital, Pte. C. Wenham, of the Lincolns, the dearly loved husband of Ethel Wenham, 24, Neville Street. Military funeral at Cleethorpes Cemetery, Wednesday afternoon, 2 o’clock. Died of wounds.

The grave is still maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. We have no photos of Charles and no idea what happened to his medals and death plaque. Ethel remarried in 1918 and does not appear to have had any children with Charles.