250068 CPL. C. BRIERLEY. LANCS. HRS.

 

This man’s records are particularly difficult to disentangle, but I think I’ve got there.

 

His full name is Charles Davenport Brierley and he was born on 15 July 1889 in Warrington, Lancashire, and baptised on 28 July at Warrington St Elphin.  His father was also called Charles Davenport Brierley (though earlier Censuses give his middle name as Dane or Dain, b. 1859 in Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire), a shopkeeper and greengrocer. His mother was Mary Cox (b. 1860 in Warrington), though Cox is her surname from her first marriage.  Mary had at least one child from her first marriage, Mary Ann Cox.  Charles and Mary were married in 1888 and Charles jnr came along the following year.  In 1911, Charles jnr was living with his stepsister Mary Ann, her husband (William Hutchinson) and their three children at 16 Pierpoint Street, Warrington, and Charles was working as a window cleaner.  The following year he married Jessie Corbett (b. 1888 in Warrington), and in 1914, Charles and Jessie had a son, whom they also named Charles Davenport.

 

Charles enlisted, probably early in the War, at Newton-le-Willows, in the Household Cavalry and Cavalry of the Line, and was assigned service number 565.  His battalion was the Lancashire Hussars.  In 1917 he was assigned a new service number, 250068, and at some stage was promoted to Corporal.

 

The full title of Charles’ battalion is 1/1st Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry, formed in 1908 as part of the Welsh Border Mounted Regiment, although in July 1917 the regiment was dismounted and sent for infantry training.  Later that year, the regiment would be absorbed into 18th (Service) Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) but there seems to be no War Diary covering the battalion’s activities from the end of May 1916.  The only other man from Lancashire Hussars killed on 31 July was Captain Thomas Geoffrey Rawstorne (from Penwortham, Lancashire) and he died near Pilkem.  18 KLR was also at Pilkem Ridge.  Pilkem Ridge was the opening battle of what would become known as the Third Battle of Ypres.  Charles was 28 years old.

 

Rank:  Corporal

Service No:  250068

Date of Death:  31/07/1917

Regiment/Service:  Lancashire Hussars

Panel Reference:  Panel 5.

Memorial:  YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

 

In 1919, Jessie remarried, to Samuel Dunn (b. 1890 in Warrington).  I don’t know if they had any further children.

Charles Davenport Brierley (III) never knew his father.  He died in 2003.

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