Private Charles Richard Frederick Roots

Born in September 1898, Charles was the son of Stephen Roots and his wife Sarah. He was baptised at Merton Parish Church and his family then lived at lived at 17 High Path, Merton. The couple also had two younger children, Albert born in 1902 and Lillian, born in 1904.Stephen Roots was a compositor, a skilled job involving the setting if type for printing books and newspapers. Tragically he died in 1904, aged just 29.

In 1910 Stephen’s widow married Frederick Crisp. By 1911 the couple has a six month old son, Edward and were living with Sarah’s youngest children at 6, Croft Road in Merton. Charles was still at school and seems to have been living with his maternal Grandparents, Richard and Sarah Garrett in Woodham near Woking. Richard was a labourer for a local golf club and the Garrett household also included Charles’ two uncles, William – a gas fitter and Albert, an insurance agent.

At the outbreak of war, Charles was working as a labourer and seems to have been living at the Merton home of his mother and stepfather . Service records show that he signed up for military service at Wimbledon on 9 September 1916. At 17 years and 11 months of age, he was officially too young for the army but the recruiting sergeant probably turned a blind eye, particularly as conscription was then in force and there had been heavy losses on the Western Front.

Charles became a Private in the 15th battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment). This had been formed in June 1915 from Home Service personnel. By 1917 the unit was based in the Somme region of France. Between January and September they spent lengthy periods in trench warfare, relieving French and British units, conducting salvage work and digging defensive lines. The regiment was often under heavy artillery fire in areas such as Saint Quentin and Peronne.

By October the Sherwood Foresters were in the Arras region. Medical records show that Charles had been admitted to Sheffield Hospital on 5th October 1917 for 12 days suffering from scabies. This was a parasitic skin condition, common amongst troops serving in the cold, damp conditions of the trenches.

On 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the largest offensive of the war on the Somme front in an attempt to split the Allied troops and destroy the British 5th Army. After initial chaos and heavy losses, several divisions of British troops were rushed to the area to make a fighting stand. At noon on 24 March Charles and his unit were ordered to counterattack. In what became known as the first Battle of Bapaume, the men moved forward and held the advancing enemy, with the 15th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment on their right. However there was no link-up with troops on the left, allowing the enemy to outflanking the two front Companies, leaving very few survivors. At 6pm the unit was finally ordered to withdraw to fresh positions on the Curlu-Maurepas road.

Aged 19, Charles Roots was one of many British casualties on 24 March 1918. His body was never found and he is one of 14,655 “missing” Allied troops commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial in France. He is also included on the memorial at St. Mary’s Church, Merton Park.