Charles Henry Pembleton was born at Arnold in 1893, the son of Charles and Ann nee Newton. There were at least seven children in the family including Charles and they were Hannah, Eleanor, Lizzie, Charlotte, Emma, Rebecca, and Archibald a boy whom Charles and Ann brought up. He was rumoured to have been a foundling from the circus. Charles Henry was named after a baby boy born in 1891 who died a few weeks later. Charles was a self employed barber although it is known that he worked from March to November of 1906 for the Carrington Timber Company. In 1912 at the age of 19 he married Annie May Corah (known as May) and their daughter Annie May (known as Annie) was born in 1914. Archibald emigrated to America and it was the intention of Charles and May to join him once their baby daughter was settled. However by a cruel twist of fate, the Great War of 1914-18 was to change all of their plans and Charles would have been conscripted into the army to swell out the number of fighting men needed. He enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters during 1916 and was sent to Sunderland to do his training. It is obvious from his letters to his wife that he missed her and his daughter dreadfully. They regularly wrote to each other as did his sisters, and he had regular parcels from both his wife and family. Sadly, Charles died of wounds received accidentally on 17th June 1917 at the 17 Field Ambulance and he was buried in the Philosphe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe, Pas de Calais, France. Charles is also remembered on St Aidens Church War Memorial, Old Basford.

john weston