60785: Telegrams and official letters re. Charles W. Carr - missing presumed dead during the Battle of Paschendale

These telegrams and other official communications were sent to the family of Charles W. Carr when it was believed he was missing - presumed killed, and then when it was discovered he was in fact alive, but seriously wounded.

Charles Carr's son, Tony, has researched the battle in which his father was seriously wounded.

Sergeant Charles W. Carr, with D Company of the 2/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, attacked Pond Farm on 22 August 1917. They captured this heavily fortified German position - manned by 50 picked machine gunners and 5 guns - "but my father did not make it!" In fact the official history of the regiment records that two 2nd Lieuts. and 16 other ranks were killed (the officer commanding D Company Capt. S. Tubbs had been killed earlier that day), and another 2nd Lieut. "and 51 other ranks were wounded and one other missing" - the one missing was probably Tony Carr's father. The story passed down is that Charles witnessed his friends being killed next to him as they charged Pond Farm, and he was machine gunned in the legs. He was lain down in a shell hole with another British soldier and some Germans (wounded and/or prisoners). Charles' mate Sidney Brunt passed by and shouted that he would go and get some medics for Charlie and his comrade. In the meantime some other medics arrived and removed Charlie. Before Sidney and the stretcher-bearers returned another bomb landed in the shellhole and blew where Charlie had lain to smithereens. When Sidney did return he assumed his friend had been killed. When it was possible he sent a telegram to Charles' family explaining some of this, and the family did not receive word from Charles himself until the 27th August.

Part of large collection of photos and memoribilia relating to Serjeant 3091 (later 240965) Charles Woodward Carr, 2/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment - kept by Mrs Gill Porter and Mr Tony Carr of their father.