1/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
Charles Frederick Clements was the youngest son of William and Alice Clements of Oolite, New Street, Cheltenham and was born in Cheltenham in the fourth quarter of 1894.
He joined the Territorial Army on 6 November 1911, enlisting as No 1520 in the 1/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, with whom he served as a signaller. He was drafted to France on 29 March 1915. He was discharged due to sickness on 31 March 1919 and died in England on 27 March 1920, age 25, whilst serving with his regiment and is buried in Cheltenham Borough Cemetery, where his grave is marked with a CWGC headstone. He is commemorated on the Cheltenham War Memorial and also on the memorial inside St Mary’s Church. He left a widow, Clara, who also lived at the New Street address.
A photo of him as part of a group from ‘C’ Company, 1/5th Glosters, taken on 23 October 1916, appeared in The Graphic of 2 December 1916. Charles is the third from the left in fourth row from the back.
Researched by Graham Adams 17 February 2012
(Acknowledgement to ‘Leaving all that was dear – Cheltenham in the Great War’ by Graham Sacker and Joe Devereux)