World War One

The following article was discovered in the Mansfield Chronicle Newspaper 12 August 1915

Hopes Not Realised – Last Letter From Former Warsop Workman

Pte. Charles Webster was killed in action on May 19th. Before the war he lodged with Mrs Charles Parkin of 4 Queen Street Warsop. He was called up for service on August 4th. He worked at Warsop Main Colliery prior to being called up.

Mrs Parkin used to send him a newspaper every week and for some weeks past she had had no letter from him. She wrote to the War Office who informed her of his death.

Pte. Webster’s last letter home to his mother who lives in America, is as follows:-

Dear Mother and Brothers, Just a line to you all hoping to find you well as I am at present. I cannot tell you how it upset me to know that .. Ma is not so well and I hope she has recovered. Take good care of yourself. I wish you ….. worry so much about Freddie and me. We are all right, and I expect you are worrying about us. So please remember there are still the other children. With Gods help we will both come home to you.

But, my dear mother we have a lot to be thankful for. I have had a month of steady fighting and never been hurt. There are thousands of lads who will never see the old country again, and if anything does happen you will have the satisfaction of knowing it was for the old country and a just cause. I heard from Freddie; he is stationed at London.

Tell the lads that I shall be happy when I come to America so that I can take the little ones on fishing trips with me. Freddy has sent me some tobacco, envelopes and writing paper. But I think he needs everything he has. Well, good-bye and God bless you all. Write back quick your affectionate son and brother. Charlie.

An entry on the Commonwealth War Grave web site (www.cwgc.org) reads

In Memory of
Private CHARLES WEBSTER

8943, 1st Bn., The King’s (Liverpool Regiment)
who died age 23
on 19 May 1915
Son of Mrs. Elizabeth Webster, of 1576, Belmont St., Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
Remembered with honour
LE TOURET MEMORIAL  

Nationality given as United Kingdom

Questions

On reading the article my curiosity was aroused, at first I wondered (because his mother was in America), why an American was working at Warsop Main Colliery. However as the CWGC gives Charles nationality as the United Kingdom, maybe he was born in this country and his mother and his younger brothers had emigrated to America?

War Memorial

Is Charles Webster on the Warsop War memorial?