Current Information:

Age-20

Born-Bethnal Green

5, Purbrook Street, Bermondsey

9th Rifle Brigade were part of 42 Brigade, 14th Division that arrived in France in May, 1915. On 19th June, 1915, they moved into the front line near Zillebeke in the Ypres salient as 14th Division took over the Railway Wood sector. The trenches here were in a very bad state having been continually knocked about by enemy artillery. On the following day between 1pm and 2.30pm, the Germans continued with their bombardment of these positions and repeated the exercise at dusk. There were also snipers to contend with and by the end of the day 9th Rifle Brigade had suffered a dozen casualties, four of whom had been killed. One of these was Charles Homewood.