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Old 19-01-15, 15:01
Jill Jill is offline
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Default (42) Charles William Orton, Pte TF/201187 4th Battalion Royal Sussex Regt.

42nd of St Wilfrid's Old Boys to die in WW1.

Born on 20 Jul 1898 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, son of Charles and Alice Orton. His father was a postman and former soldier who had died in 1908 when Charles was 10 leaving his mother with 5 sons to bring up. By 1911 they lived near the station at 52 Gordon Road. His mother was a charwoman and her eldest son had started work as gardener’s boy, she remarried the following year.

Like his father, Charles enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment. He died in Egypt on 26 Mar 1917 aged 19, it is not known where he is buried but he is commemorated on the Jerusalem Monument panels 26 & 27.

The local paper had a piece about him:

MID SUSSEX TIMES 17 APR 1917
DEATH OF PRIVATE C W ORTON
The mother of this well-known soldier has had the sad news conveyed to her by the War office that he was killed in action on 26th March while serving with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. The deceased was an old boy of St Wilfrid’s School, and after acting as a messenger attached to the local post Office he entered the employ of Messrs Gander & Maynard, dairymen, and also joined the Territorials. His father, a soldier in the South African War, is dead and Mrs Mileham is his mother.


His great niece (an old school friend of mine) has visited the school to see his name on our board, and attended the ceremony at Haywards Heath War Memorial to see our children lay crosses for the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.

His mother was sent his effects of £4 15s 3d on 15 November 1917 and a War Grant of £5 10s on 13 October 1919.

Last edited by Jill; 19-01-15 at 16:48. Reason: Effects
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Old 12-11-17, 22:23
Jill Jill is offline
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Well blow me down. He's related to my husband as they share ancestors James Orton and Elizabeth Rapley.
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Old 13-11-17, 13:24
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kiterunner kiterunner is offline
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How closely / distantly related, Jill?
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Old 13-11-17, 17:57
Jill Jill is offline
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Not very close, James Orton and Elizabeth Rapley are my OH's 4x great grandparents and are Charles's 2x great grandparents. In addition that means my OH is also related to an old school friend of mine who is the great niece of Charles Orton, we met up at a 100th anniversary event in 2014 not knowing this!
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