The Lingwood family had lived in Woodham Ferrers from the early 18th Century and, although there are no Lingwoods now in the village, their descendants still reside there. Charles was born in October 1891 and baptised at St Mary’s Church, Woodham Ferrers on 25th October 1891, the son of Edward Lingwood, a general labourer, and his wife Elizabeth nee Collins.
Edward originally married Eliza White at Danbury in 1874 but she died in the late 1880s and Edward subsequently married Elizabeth Collins towards the end of 1891.
By the time of the 1901 Census Charles was living with his parents and a younger sister at The Village, Woodham Ferrers. His father was a general labourer and Charles was a scholar. Living next door was the family of Charles Whitworth who became another casualty of the war.
Charles enlisted in the Essex Regiment in Maldon around the end of 1910 and would have undergone basic training, probably at Warley Barracks, before joining the 1st Battalion of the regiment in Quetta then in India now in modern day Pakistan. At the outbreak of the war the battalion returned to England and subsequently landed at Gallipoli.
Gallipoli is a peninsula overlooking the Dardanelles which controlled the access to the Black Sea and southern Russia. It was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire who sided with Germany whilst Russia was an ally of Britain and France.
To try to force a passage to the Black Sea, following unsuccessful naval attacks, landings were made on the peninsula on 25th April 1915 with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landing at what later became ANZAC Cove on the western coast and the British 29th Division landing at Cape Helles in the south. The 1st Battalion Essex Regiment part of 88th Brigade, 29th Division landed at Beach W at 9.30 that morning. Included with the men who landed that day was Charles Lingwood.
The first day’s objective for the division was to take the village of Krithia and the nearby hill Achi Baba but the first attack was delayed until 28th April which failed. Further unsuccessful attempts were made at the second battle of Krithia on 6th May and the third battle on 4th June.
A few days later after this latest failure another Woodham man, William Aves joined the regiment on 10th June. The division was soon again in battle this time at Gully Ravine on 28th June.
To try to break the stalemate an August Offensive was planned and the 161st (Essex) Brigade part of the 54th (East Anglian) Division which included several Essex territorial battalions 1/4th, 1/5th, 1/6TH and 1/7TH battalions landed at Suvla Bay on 10th August. Among the men of the 1/5th was another Woodham man Arthur Eves.
As a diversion to draw troops away from the area of the forthcoming landings at Suvla the 29th Division was ordered to attack through the area known as “The Vineyard” near Krithia on 6th August. It was during this engagement that both Charles Lingwood and William Aves were killed. It is ironic that these two Woodham men died allowing a third just a few miles up the coast to land unimpeded.
Charles died of wounds on 7th August and lies buried in Twelve Tree Copse War Cemetery where 3,360 allied soldiers lie buried, 2,226 of them unidentified.
Charles was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the Allied Victory and British War Medals.