Charles Bertram Burden was born in Havant, Hampshire in the Spring of 1888 and baptised at St Thomas Church, Bedhampton on Sunday, 17th June in the same year. He was the second son of Charles William Burden and Emma Louisa Leggett and he had four siblings: Percy Reginald, Ethel May , Gertrude Louise and Cecil Maurice. Charles’ mother Emma died on the 7th September 1893 when he was only five years old. His father married for a second time in 1896 to Rose Graham and they produced two children together, Rose and William Graham. William also served in the Great War as a Rifleman with the London Regiment and survived the conflict. Charles’ brother served as a Leading Signalman in the Royal Navy and survived the war but his son Maurice, Charles’ nephew, was killed in action on the 24th June 1941 aged twenty-six.

Charles’ father was a ‘Miller’ and he ran the Flour, Corn Mill and Malthouse on West Street in Havant for over twenty years. By 1911 Charles aged twenty-two worked as a ‘Clerk’ for a Wine and Spirit Merchants in Havant. It is unclear why the family moved to Hemel Hempstead although initially it may have been that Charles father came to work as a Miller in the area. However, by 1913 Charles senior had opened a grocery store at 226 London Road in Boxmoor which he ran with his two youngest sons Cecil and William.

Charles found work as a ‘Clerk’ with a Wine and Spirit Merchants which may have been Bailey’s in Apsley End or more likely Kempton Brothers at Queen Street Watford where he would eventually enlist in the army. Charles was called up for service in 1916 following the enacting of the Military Service Act in January and he enlisted in Watford with 1/4th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers in August or September. At some point before going to the Front, Charles transferred to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) and was sent to overseas around April 1917 to join the 10th Battalion in Belgium.

In June 1917 Charles fought in the Battle of Messines where the 10th Queen’s Own suffered 239 casualties in five days of fighting. Charles, however, came through unscathed. Just over a month later he was in action again as the 10th Queen’s Own fought in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge in which the lost almost one third of the battalion strength in three days of brutal fighting.

Charles did not survive the action and he was killed on the first day of the attack on Tuesday, 31st July 1917.

Charles is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 45 and 47.

He was 28 years old when he died.

Charles was eligible for the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.