Current Information:

Age-38

8, Credenhill Street, Streatham

Born-Camberwell

Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, France

Charles Paine died from unspecified causes on 17th February, 1917, while serving with the Royal Army Service Corps in France but it is not known if he died from wounds or from illness, both of which took their toll of the men on the Western Front. 

The Royal Army Service Corps worked at every level during the First World War and by the end of the conflict it was responsible for keeping an army of over 4 million men supplied with all their needs. It was a colossal task and the RASC expanded its own ranks rapidly in order to fulfil this demand.By the end of the war their numbers had expanded to over 300,000. RASC personnel were to be found from the front line to the Channel ports and many of those in forward positions, delivering supplies of all kinds to the trenches, were liable to become casualties themselves. The tracks along which they had to travel to reach the front line were known to the German gunners and targeted accordingly, as were their depots. In February, 1915, 6th Division were holding the line near Fleurbaix in France.