Charles SPIERS (1891-1915)

Private Charles Spiers (1891-1915) served in the same platoon as Cyril Sladden in the 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.

Charles Spiers was born in March 1891 at Hampton, Evesham, the sixth of ten children and eldest son of Charles William Spiers, a market gardener, and his wife, Sarah Ann. He was registered with the name Charlie and, on the census return which was taken on 5th April 1891, his name appeared as Charley and he was described as less than a month old; on later census returns his name was given as Charles William. At the time of the 1901 and 1911 census, the family lived at Brookside, Hampton, which was close to Hampton Mill.

Charles attended Great Hampton Parochial School and then went on to join his father in the market gardening business.

Soon after the outbreak of war, Charles Spiers joined the 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. After a period of training in England, the 9th Battalion left England at the end of June 1915, bound for the Dardanelles. The difficulties in the Gallipoli peninsula had resulted in the British Higher Command needing reinforcements to be sent if the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was to win through to its goal, Constantinople. As part of these reinforcements, the officers and men of the 9th Battalion moved by train to Avonmouth, from whence they boarded the transport ship, "Cawdor Castle" – in total a party of 28 officers and 970 other ranks. After touching down at Malta and Alexandria, the "Cawdor Castle" reached Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos on 10th July 1915. The battalion transferred to another ship two days later and sailed to the Gallipoli Peninsula. For two weeks at the end of July, the 9th Worcestershires had their first experience of trench warfare at Gully Ravine. They then returned to Lemnos to rest before a major offensive was due to take place.

On 10th August 1915, Private Charles Spiers (15234) was killed in action, aged 24, in the Battle of Sari Bair. In a postscript to a letter to his mother on 12th August, Cyril Sladden wrote: “Spiers of Hampton in my platoon was killed.” The action had begun in earnest on 6th August when there was a final attempt by the Allied forces to seize control of the Gallipoli peninsula – the intention was to reinvigorate the campaign by capturing the Sari Bair ridge, the high ground that dominated the middle of the peninsula above the Anzac landing. The offensive failed and, on 10th August, the Ottomans counter-attacked and regained control of the entire Sari Bair ridge.

Private Spiers’ final resting-place is unknown, but he is commemorated on the Helles Memorial. He is also commemorated on the war memorial in St Andrew’s Church, Hampton, and on the Great Hampton Parochial School memorial (now in Hampton St Andrew’s C of E First School).