Charles Geoffrey Claye
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Charles Geoffrey Claye was born in 1895 and baptised on 21st March 1895 at St Mary's Radcliffe on Trent he was the son of Wentworth Ernest a managing director of a railway waggon works and Mary Louisa Claye née Cox of Lenton House, Beeston Lane, Lenton and later The Hill, East Bridgford Nottinghamshire.Wentworth was born in 1863 at Long Eaton, Mary Louisa Cox was born in 1868 at Derby, they were married on 1st March 1868 at St Lukes Church Derby, they had a daughter Dorothy Wentworth Claye born in 1893. In 1911 the family was living at Bramcote Hills, Nottingham, Wentworth is 48 yrs a managing director of a railway waggon works, he is living with his wife Mary Louisa 43 yrs, they are living with 4 servants at the address. In 1911 Charles Geoffrey is 16 yrs and is a school boy at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, a schoolboy boarder resident at Sanatorium, Paperharow Road.
Army List, 1914: 'Territorial Force. To be 2nd Lieutenant, 6 October. Charles Geoffrey Claye (late Cadet, Charterhouse Sch. Contg. Jr. Div. OTC (Gazette 16 Nov.)).Lieutenant Charles Geoffrey Claye initially served with the 2/5th battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), landing in France in August 1916. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in March 1917. He was killed in action on 5th July 1918 whilst on a bombing raid and is buried at Charmes Military Cemetery, Essegney (grave ref 1.A.8).
CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'He giveth his beloved sleep' (Psalm 127:2, KJV)Claye's name does not appear on East Bridgford's Memorial Cross. An Endowed Bed was donated to Nottingham General Hospital (WMA 27365 - Lt CG Claye Endowed Bed)Charterhouse School. See record, including photograph of Charles as a schoolboy, on www.roll-of-honour.com/Surrey/GodalmingCharthouseSchool-WW1-WMA23503: Charterhouse School Chapel, WW1 (Claye, Charles Geoffrey) & WW2. 'He joined the 2/5th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters in October 1914 and was sent to the Front in August 1916. In March 1917 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps where he trained as an observer at the School of Aerial Gunnery, France. He was appointed a flying officer in April and was attached to No. 48 Squadron where he flew Bristol F2 Fighters from April 3–May 9 and then the De Havilland DH4 from July–November 1917 (the DH4 was a light two-seater day bomber plane). Charles was wounded twice and returned to England in November on home leave. In January 1918 he was given a post in England as an instructor in aerial navigation and bomb dropping at Hythe School of Aerial Gunnery, Kent but asked in April to be transferred back to the Front. Charles was killed on July 5th 1918 during a bombing raid while acting as an observer in a De Havilland D.H.9, a plane often subject to engine failure, and soon replaced by the D.H.9A. Following his death, his commanding officer wrote, ‘There are few men, I think, who would deliberately have given up the chance of a ‘soft job’ in England to go out again, the second time, as observer. He was doing most valuable work, as for some time he was our only experienced observer’. (origin Radcliffe on Trent and the First World War website) Nottingham Evening Post, 19 May 1917: ‘The Roll of Honour. 298 Officers and 3,742 Rank and File. Last night’s casualty list show: Officers: Dead 77, wounded and missing 211, total 298. Men: Dead 805, wounded and missing 2,937, total 3,742. The following is an analysis of the lists: Officers. Wounded. Lieut CG Claye was gazetted to the Sherwood Foresters in October, 1914, and was promoted 12 months later.’ ( www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)Derby Daily Telegraph, 5 October 1917: ‘Local Commissions. A supplement to the ‘London Gazette’ contains the following:- War Office, Oct 4, 1917. Regular Forces: Royal Flying Corps, Military Wing. The undermentioned appointment is made:- Flying Officer (observer). Sept. 16, 1917, Lieut.CG Claye, Notts. And Derbys, TF., with seniority from April 13, 1917, and to be seconded.’ ( www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
