Charles Harding

[dawnsh]

Fingers crossed that you can make contact with each other 

[gallipolianzac]

Pete

Well what a turn up for the books! I came across Charles Harding when researching a book I wrote called 'Retreat and Rearguard 1914 which was published by Pen and Sword Books in 2011. He was mentioned by Lieutenant Jim Pennyman in his diary account of the battle of Le Cateau and I have referred to Charles' bravery in the book. He was discharged in 1915 and kept in touch with Jim Pennyman up until his death. You should be able to get a copy of the book on Amazon.

Jerry Murland

[gallipolianzac]

I have just found the reference to Charles Harding's letter;

Correspondence  U.PEN/7/122  June, 1919

These documents are held at Teesside Archives
Contents:
Letter from Private Harding of the King's Own Scottish Borderers to J.B. Pennyman.
[Harding had been in Pennyman's machine gun section in 1914].

It also appears he might have had a brother:

HARDING, ARTHUR WILLIAM
Charles' Brother
Initials:
A W
Nationality:
United Kingdom
Rank:
Private
Regiment/Service:
Middlesex Regiment
Unit Text:
Depot
Age:
19
Date of Death:
15/11/1918
Service No:
G/54603
Additional information:
Son of James and Elizabeth Emily Harding, of Bethnal Green, London.
Casualty Type:
Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:
XIII. A. 9A.
Cemetery:
BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY

This is Charles details from the CWGC website:

HARDING, CHARLES JAMES
Initials:
C J
Nationality:
United Kingdom
Rank:
Private
Regiment/Service:
King's Own Scottish Borderers
Unit Text:
2nd Bn.
Age:
28
Date of Death:
23/03/1920
Service No:
10656
Additional information:
Order of St. George 4th Class (Russia). Son of James Harding, of 4, Sidney St., Bethnal Green, London, and the late Elizabeth Emily Harding. Wounded at Ypres, Nov., 1914.
Casualty Type:
Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:
S.P. 14504.
PADDINGTON CEMETERY
Country:
United Kingdom
Locality:
Middlesex

Charles' death details:

England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
about Charles J Harding
Name:
Charles J Harding
Death Registration Month/Year:
1920
Age at death (estimated):
28
Registration district:
Paddington
Inferred County:
London
Volume:
1a
Page:
26


Arthur's details:

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
about Arthur William Harding
Name:   Arthur William Harding
Birth Place:   Bethnal Green, Middlesex
Residence:   Whitehall
Death Date:   15 Nov 1918
Rank:   Private
Regiment:   Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)
Battalion:   23rd Battalion.
Number:   G/54603
Type of Casualty:   Died of wounds
Theatre of War:   Brough - Sic


You will find Charles' Medal Index Card on Ancestory

Hope this helps

jerry Murland

[Rohun]

Hello Jerry,
 I am Charles granddaughter, Pete's mum and wanted to thank you for posting all this information and for your book which Pete and I have downloaded and are reading. This is so wonderful to learn about the man who we were all just dimly aware of. My father had just one memory of sitting on his fathers lap in a bathchair. My grandmother kept his medals proudly on display under a glass dome on the sideboard but these were stolen during WWII after she died. My father went to clear the rooms out and found they were gone. Thank goodness they left his portrait. My grandmother was refused a war widows pension after he died. There are two explanations of this. One was that he was apparently discharged A1 fit which does not square with the injury you refer to and/or that the pension was refused because she would not part with his piano. Charles was a piper and apparently played the piano very well too.
We understood that he had been gassed and that this was why he was discharged and later died.
It is strange that Charles mentions a baby daughter in his last letter. We understood that my grandmother was carrying twins and lost them we presumed with the shock of his death but maybe one survived  for a while. However the source of any information was secondhand through her younger sister Alice who was a great gossip and source of spurious information. How close she and my grandmother were at the time of Charlie's death is anybody's guess. I only saw her a handful of times and never knew her well enough to ask questions.

Thank you again. Ros

[dawnsh]

Hi Ros

Welcome to Rootschat 

I'm sure Jerry will be back again soon.

Dawn

[Ladyhawk]

It also appears he might have had a brother: HARDING, ARTHUR WILLIAM

Here are the links to the deaths on CWGC details posted by gallipolianzac

Charles James Harding
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wte/

Here’s a photo of Charles’ grave stone
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wtf/
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wti/

and brother Arthur William
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wtl/

photo of Arthur's grave stone
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wth/
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wtj/

both their medal cards can be viewed on Anc*y

Charles Harding
Regiment or Corps:   Kings Own Scottish Borderers
Regimental Number:   10858

Arthur W Harding
Regiment or Corps:   Middlesex Regiment
Regimental Number:   G/54603

for info.
Here they both are with their parents on 1901 census
RG13; Piece: 288; Folio: 128; Page: 21
James Harding 36 Stepney occ Silk Weaver
Elizabeth E 36 St. Luke
Charles J 9 Dalston London
Elizabeth A 6 Stepney
Arthur W 2
James 4mths

Charles James Harding
Bapt 6 Dec 1891 St Bartholomew Bethnal Green
Parents James Harding occ Coachman & Elizabeth abode 107 Eleanor Rd Dalston

marriage
4 Jan 1891 St Philips Stepney
James Harding age 27 Carman of 8 Gloucester Place f Charles Carman
Elizabeth Emily Coleman age 25 of 8 Gloucester Court  f William Carman
Witnesses Thomas Edward Harding & Phoebe Harding

How terribly sad that Charles medals were stolen 


There is a public tree on Ancestry owner Harding
Added pictures 3 Aug 2013
Picture of Russian Order of St George 4th Class
Map showing Battle of Le Cateau

Names James & Elizabeth’s children as
Charles James 1890 – 1920
Thomas E 1890
Elizabeth Ann (Daisy) 1894 – 1956
William 1896 – 1900
Arthur William 1899 – 1918
James John 1900 – 1972 = Isabella Maud Winwood 1897 – 1980 (6 children all deceased all named)
Sarah Ann Phoebe 1902 – 1985
Alice Mary 1904 = F Pike (2 children not named)
Fred?

[Rohun]

Hi Jerry, thank you so much for all the information you posted here. I found Retreat and Rearguard so moving. Thanks to your research you have brought my grandfather back to life and taught us so much we never knew. I have little time or energy for family research but thanks to this maybe we are a little closer to possibly finding some living relatives  of Charles' brothers or sisters.