His military career before and during the War is summarised in De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour.  He landed in France on 8 November 1914, with 2nd Bn Lancashire Fusiliers.  As De Ruvigny says, he was wounded in January 1915, returned to England to recover and then was transferred to 1st Bn before returning to action, this time at Gallipoli.  Famously, the Lancs.Fus landed at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915 earning ‘6 VCs before breakfast’.  But by the time Charles arrived with reinforcements on 29 June, the campaign had ground to a halt, with vicious trench warfare in appalling conditions.  An attempt was made to break the deadlock by a second landing further north on the peninsula at Suvla Bay from 6-15 August.  The British and Empire forces initially took the Turks by surprise and landed successfully, but instead of pressing forward, the British General Stopford ordered the troops to pause and consolidate giving the Turks time to regroup and counterattack.  The 29th Division (of which 1Bn Lancs.Fus. was a part) was also shifted from Helles to Suvla. The final British attempt to resuscitate the offensive came on 21 August with attacks at Scimitar Hill and Hill 60. Control of the hills would have united the Anzac and Suvla fronts but both attacks failed.  It was at this time that Charles received the wounds from which he would later die. He was 39 years old.

 

Rank:  Major

Date of Death:  16/09/1915

Age:  39

Regiment/Service:  Lancashire Fusiliers, 2nd Bn.

Grave Reference:  North-East of Church.

Cemetery:  KIRK MAUGHOLD (ST. MAUGHOLD) CHURCHYARD

Additional Information:  Son of Charles Edward Brierley, of Mount Auldyn, Ramsey; husband of Olive C. M. Brierley, of Foxcote Grange, Andoversford, Glos.

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