GUNNER CHARLES EDWARD DAVIES
384th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
Born in 1898 in Sellack
In 1911, his family was living at the Cottage on Welland Farm
In December 1915 he enlisted into the Royal Garrison Artillery
In 1917, Gunner Davies was with the 13th (Western) Division, probably having joined in 1916 as part of reinforcements ready for the push against Baghdad, which was captured in 1917
Gunner Davies died on 5th November 1917 in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), age 19
He is buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
His records say he ‘died’ rather than ‘killed in action’ or ‘died of wounds’ which means he was probably one of the large number of troops who died because of illness, particularly malaria, brought on by the climate and conditions in Mesopotamia
His CWGC certificate of honour records he was the son of George and Matilda Davies of Grove Common, Sellack
He is commemorated on the Sellack War Memorial
Gunner Davies has a memorial on his parents’ headstone in the churchyard of Sellack Church, where in 2017 his family placed a memorial bench on the 100th anniversary of his death.