Charles was born in Chelmsford on 15th March 1906 to Lily Gertrude Wiseman and was baptised at Moulsham Parish Church on 4th April. Lily subsequently married Walter Tredgett in 1908.
In 1911 Charles was living with his maternal grandparents William, a farm labourer and Elizabeth Ann and possibly an older sister Maud at Victoria Road, Woodham Ferrers. Lily and her husband were also living with them but listed as boarders.
In 1921 Charles and his mother, now widowed, were still living with Lily’s father William by now living at White’s Cottage, East Hanningfield and Charles was then employed as a house boy, a junior servant, by Miss Watson-Smyth who lived at Edwins Hall in Woodham Ferrers. The 1939 return shows that Lily was living at White’s Cottage, Creephedge Lane which was next door to Rose Hill Farm
In December 1922 Charles joined HMS Ganges, a shore establishment, as a boy seaman second class, where he would have started his training for the Royal Navy. At the time of enlistment his occupation was still given as houseboy.He was promoted to boy seaman first class the following year and then on 12th November 1923 he was posted to HMS Valiant, a battleship launched in 1914.
On 15th March 1924, his eighteenth birthday, he signed on for twelve years and at the time he was described as being 5ft 8.5 inches tall with brown hair, brown eyes and fresh complexion. His conduct was described as satisfactory. He went on to serve on many ships and, having completed his twelve years, signed on for further service in 1936. His service record mentions that he had a number of tattoos.
In 1928 Charles married Ethel F Crook at Plymouth. Charles was awarded the long service and good conduct medal in 1939.
At some stage, probably before the outbreak of the war in 1939, Charles was posted to HMS Diamond H22 seen here a Defender Class destroyer launched in April 1932 at Barrow in Furness. From April 1940, having been refitted at Singapore, the ship was deployed in the Mediterranean, other than a brief period on convoy duty off West Africa, attached to the 10th Destroyer Flotilla where she saw action initially against Italian forces following their entry into the war on 10th June.
She was slightly damaged by Italian air attacks on 11th and 17th June and also saw action in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento on 27th November. She was also involved in convoy duties to Malta an important strategic island in the Mediterranean.
Following the German and Italian victories in Greece, Athens fell to the enemy on 27th April, the decision was taken to evacuate the Empire Forces who were vastly outnumbered. Diamond was in the Argolic Gulf with three light cruisers, three other destroyers and two troop ships to evacuate British, Australian and New Zealand troops from Nauplia. The ships came under attack from nine Luftwaffe JU87 Stuka Dive Bombers. The troop ship Slamat which had taken on board 500 soldiers was hit and caught fire. Diamond was ordered to go alongside to rescue the soldiers and crew assisted by another destroyer HMS Wryneck. By 09.25 Diamond reported that she had rescued most of the survivors and was proceeding to Souda Bay. The destroyers came under attack from German Messerschmitt BF109s and Junkers JU88 bombers and were sunk on 27th April the same day that Athens fell. Of the crew of Diamond seven officers and one hundred and forty one ratings were lost together with the soldiers they had rescued of whom just eight survived. Overall with the sinking of Diamond and Wryneck and the Slamat 983 lives were lost.
As with all British Ships sunk during the war no attempt would have been made to recover bodies and the wreck is an official war grave. Charles is remembered on the Plymouth Naval War Memorial Panel 49 Column 1. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission mentions that he was the son of Lily Wiseman and stepson of Walter Tredgett of East Hanningfield and husband of Ethel Wiseman. The memorial commemorates 15,933 seamen who died during World War 2 for whom there are no graves. Charles is but one of them.
Charles would have been eligible for the 1939 - 1945 Star, The Africa Star and the War Medal 1939 - 1945.
Lily does not seem to have remarried and died in the Chelmsford area in 1973.