Lieutenant Charles William Gale
| Date of Birth | c. 1886 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 33 |
| Date of Death | 20 February 1919 |
| Service Number | |
| Military Service | King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry |
| Merton Address | 31 Graham Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | Wimbledon Cemetery |
Additional Information
Born in Norwich on 9 June 1886, Charles was the only child of George and Minnie Gale. His father worked as an artist-lithographer (printing artwork using special stone or metal plates). Charles was educated at the Norwich High Grade School and the local Municipal Secondary School. By 1911 he had become an actor and was known by the stage name Hylton Warde. In July 1912 he married Dorothy Weaver, thought to have been the daughter of a Merton butcher with premises in Kingston Road. The couple had a daughter, Joan, born on 14 July, 1913 and by 1916 the Gale family were living at 69 Oxford Avenue, Raynes Park. They later moved to 88 Graham Road, Wimbledon.
As the wartime death toll increased, there was a need for replacement troops. Initially a member of the home based 1st Reserve Garrison Battalion, Charles became an army regular on 16 January 1916. Aged 30, he was then mobilised with the Suffolk Regiment on 16 June. He enlisted using his stage name, something which caused confusion throughout his military career. Contemporary records described him as 5 feet 4 inches in height, weighing 150 pounds and partially deaf, having previously suffered a perforated ear drum.
In August 1916 Charles was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and by January 1917, he was attached to the Officer Cadet Battalion at Jesus College, Cambridge. On 11 March 1917 he received a commission in the 1st Reserve Garrison Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry based at York. Two months later he reported for embarkation at Folkestone for the purpose of joining the British army in France. He initially served with the 16th (Garrison) Battalion K.O.Y.L.I and was promoted to the rank of Temporary Second Lieutenant. He ultimately ended up working at 3rd Army Headquarters in Albert.
Charles was finally demobilised on 11 February 1919 (possibly on health grounds.) It is a cruel irony that having survived the horror of war, he died of pneumonia just 9 days later. He is buried at Wimbledon Cemetery, Gap Road. His widow, Dorothy, remarried the following year and settled in Conyer Road, Streatham.