The Wimpole and Arrington War Memorial.
A local history and genealogy page for the Parish of Wimpole.
In memory of
Charles Hales Pratt
Lance Corporal 816.
2nd Battalion,
Rifle Brigade
(The Prince
Consort's Own)
(Wimpole)
Died: Monday 7 June 1915, aged 31,
following the Battle of Aubers, France.
- Lest We Forget -
Charles Hales Pratt, son of Martha Hales,
of New Wimpole, Cambridgeshire.
Baptised: 'Charles Hales'** at St Andrew's Parish Church, 14 September 1884.
Lived: No 23 Cottage, New Wimpole (now 62 Cambridge Road, Wimpole).
Enlisted (Career Soldier): at Cambridge during 1905, possibly alongside Henry George Whetstone.
Regiment: 2nd Battalion,
Rifle Brigade
(The Prince
Consort's Own).
Regimental History:
- 4 August 1914, at the outbreak of WW1, the 2nd Battalion was stationed at Kuldana, Pakistan.
- 20 September 1914, the Battalion embarked for England from Bombay arriving at Liverpool on the 22 October 1914. They moved to Hursley Park, Winchester to join the 25th Brigade of the 8th Division.
- 06 November 1914, the 2nd Battalion was mobilised for war and landed in Havre, France, and engaged in various actions on the Western Front including the Battle of Neuve Chapelle (March 1915) and the Battle of Aubers Ridge (May 1915).
Theatre of War: Battle of Aubers, France and Flanders.
Died: Monday 7 June 1915, aged 31.
How died: Seriously
wounded in the fighting near Neuve Chapelle (died of wounds in military hospital one month later).
Where Buried: Grave: A.9.45, St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France. (CWGC)
Monumental Inscription: "God takes our loved ones from our homes, but never from our hearts" (chosen by his mother).
Effects: After his death, his mother Mrs Martha Pratt received £15 12s 6d as Charles' personal effects in 1915 and a War Gratuity of £5 0s 0d in 1919.
Medals: 1914 Star (with clasp and rose), showing service with the British
Expeditionary Force prior to 31 December 1914, the British War Medal
and Victory Medal.
** The Wimpole and Arrington War Memorial lists Charles as 'C Pratt'. Many of the available military records give his enlisted name as either 'Charles Pratt Hales' (CWGC) or 'Charles Hales Pratt' (2nd Battalion
Rifle Brigade), Hales being his mother's maiden name (Martha Hales married Charles Pratt in 1890).
Charles Hales Pratt
2nd Battalion,
Rifle Brigade (The Prince
Consort's Own)
"Lance-Corporal Hales Pratt of the 2nd Battalion
Rifle Brigade, a son of Mr and Mrs C Pratt of Wimpole, died from
his wounds in hospital, at Rouen, on June 7th 1915. Lance-Corporal
Hales Pratt (who was 31 years of age) was serving in India when
War broke out. He came home for 48 hours, and then went straight
out to the Front. In January 1915, he was sent home with frost-bitten
feet, but returned again to duty on the 28th. He was seriously
wounded in the fighting near Neuve Chapelle, and after a month's
suffering died on June 7th."
(Herts and Cambs Reporter
April 7th 1916)
The Pratt Family, New Wimpole c1909
Back Row (standing) left to right: Richard Pratt (born 1896), Charlotte Pratt (born 1894), David Pratt (born 1888), James Pratt (born 1891), William Ingrey Hales (born 1882), Annie Pratt (born 1890) holding photograph of Charles Hales Pratt (1884-1915) who was away on military service.
Middle Row (seated): Parents Charles Pratt (1860-1929) and Martha Pratt nee Hales (1863-1934) with Henry George Yaxley Pratt (1907-1936) on lap.
Front Row (seated) left to right: Lydia Mary Pratt (born 1903), Nellie Pratt (born 1898), Elizabeth Pratt (born 1900).
14 October 2007. Chris Goodfellow writes: "The
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade records show that Charles Hales Pratt
first arrived in France on 7 November 1914. He was entitled to the
1914 Star (with clasp and rose), showing service with the British
Expeditionary Force prior to 31 December 1914, the British War Medal
and Victory Medal. The clasp and rose for service under fire was
never claimed by the family."
Charles Hales Pratt: Grave: A.9.45
MI: "God takes our loved ones from our homes, but never from our hearts" (Inscription chosen by his Mother, Mrs Martha Pratt)
Cemetery: St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France.
During the First World War, Commonwealth camps and hospitals were stationed on the southern outskirts of Rouen. A base supply depot and the 3rd Echelon of General Headquarters were also established in the city. Almost all of the hospitals at Rouen remained there for practically the whole of the war. They included eight general, five stationary, one British Red Cross, one labour hospital, and No 2 Convalescent Depot.
A number of the dead from these hospitals were buried in other cemeteries, but the great majority were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. St. Sever Cemetery contains 3,082 wartime burials of British and Commonwealth troops.
