Charles Gascoyne
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Charles Gascoyne was baptised on 23rd June 1881 at Holy Trinity Church, Nottingham, he was the son of the late George Frederick Gascoyne a stained glass artisit and Jane Gascoyne née Holmes of Ashleigh, Sherwood Nottingham. George Frederick was born in 1853 he died in 1913 aged 60 yrs at Nottingham, Jane Holmes was born in 1855 at Nottingham, they were married on 27th January 1877 at Holy Trinity Church, Nottingham, they had a further son Alexander born in 1877. In the 1911 census his parents are living at Ashleigh, Sherwood George Frederick is 58 yrs of age and is a retired stained glass artist, he is living with his wife Jane 56 yrs. His probate proven on 5th February 1918 in Nottingham and shows him as Charles Gascoyne of 6 Grays Inn Square, London and Ashleigh, Sherwood Nottingham Captain H M Army died 8th May 1917 in France, his effects of £ 1450 18 shillings and 8 pence were left to Jane Gascoyne widow.
He died of wounds whilst a POW received 2/4/1917. Gascoyne was commissioned as a second-lieutenant in 2/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters on 4th March 1915. He served in the Irish Rebellion, Easter 1916, with Lieutenant Percy Perry (killed in Easter Rising) and went to France in February 1917. He was appointed Temporary Captain in 2/7th Battalion, attached 6th Battalion. Reported wounded and missing on 2nd April 1917 at LeVerguier and then reported as a prisoner of war, he died of wounds on 8th May 1917.The 59th Division, the second of the North Midland Divisions, fought at Le Verguier during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line in 1917.The pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (17-5 April)When the enemy began his strategic withdrawal east from the Somme area, 59th Division was among the formations that followed up in cautious pursuit. The lack of training began to be felt in this difficult tactical situation. Units of the Division captured Jeancourt but met a bloody repluse at Le Verguier. Divisional HQ was established at Bouvincourt in April 1917. Further attacks took place at Villeret and Hargicourt quarries.The operational orders of the 2/5th Battalion Notts. & Derby Regiment (Sherwood Foresters) for 4th April 1917 state that they planned to attack and capture the village of Le Verguier at 7.00 am. This was the same attack that Captain Charles Gascoyne was engaged in. Following this they would then push on to Grand Priel Woods and meet up with a Battalion of 177th Infantry Brigade. They were to take 10 wire cutters, while one Bombing Section and one Lewis gun would be on both flanks of each Company. What actually happened was that the attacking troops came under heavy German shell and machine gun fire which, together with the barbed wire, eventually compelled them to fall back to their original positions under cover of a snowstorm. Gascoyne must have been badly wounded and captured in this engagement, finally dying over a month later as a prisoner of war.Le Verguier is west of Bellenglise, where the North Midlanders eventually broke the Hindenburg Line in late September 1918 and north of St Quentin.
Article published on 16th June 1917 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “CAPTAIN C. GASCOYNE.“Captain C. Gascoyne, Sherwood Foresters, who was reported wounded and missing in April, is now reported a prisoner of war in German hands. He is a member of a well-known Nottingham family, and received his commission in March, 1915. He obtained his second star seven months later, and was promoted captain in April, last year.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
