Source: Family member from 18th Battalion Facebook Group.
Family Search: When Private Charles Henry Rogers was born on 8 September 1897, in London, England, United Kingdom, his father, Charles G Rogers, was 26 and his mother, Eliza Holmes, was 24. He married Alice Ethel Basham on 10 April 1920, in London Township, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada. He immigrated to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada in 1911 and lived in Shoreditch, London, England, United Kingdom in 1901. He registered for military service in 1915. In 1915, at the age of 18, his occupation is listed as farmer. He died in 1981, at the age of 84, and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario, Canada.
My. Life.
Charles. Henry Rogers.
March. 16. 1919.
London. Ontario.
I Charles. Henry. Rogers. the son of, Mr & Mrs Rogers. of Shoreditch, London, England, was born on the, 8, Sept. 1897, at 64 Alma St. St Johns Rd. Hoxton. Eng . There were four children, in the family, Rose, myself, Esther, & Sidney. Rose, died when six months of age, & Sidney, when eighteen months old, leaving Esther, was was born 5 Dec. 1898, & myself. Nothing occurred in my infancy, until my Father, died Aug. 25. 1905. Which broke up our home. At time of my Father’s death we were living at 85. Gosport. Rd. Walthamtow. Eng. After my Father’s death we moved to Shoreditch, & lived around that vicinity for a number of years, my Mother working to keep us children. In Oct. 1910. I went into the Anne McPhersons, home to got to Canada, for my health, as it was very poorly at that time. On the 4 May. 1911. I left the home, & sailed that day at 5 O’clock on the SS. Tunisian, where we arrived at Quebec. On the 13. May. 1911. I arrived at the McPherson’s home, Stratford. On 15 May. 1911. I left the home, for the farm, working for Adam Douglas, Orchard Ont[i]. I stayed there about six months, leaving there on Nov. 7. 1911. going to D W. Campbell’s Duart. Ont. I worked for him nearly four years, leaving Sept. 25. 1915. At that time the European. War. was on, and thinking it my duty I went to London. Ont. & enlisted in the 70. Battn. Sept 27. 1915. I trained all that winter in Lon-don Ont. & while in training met many friends, among them a Mr & Mrs Barnaby, & their niece, Miss. Basham to home I became greatly attached. I left London, April. 21. 1916. With the 70 Battn. & sailed from Halifax, the 24 April. 1916. on board the SS. Lapland. We had a beautiful trip, & landed at Liverpool. The 4. May. 1916. I trained in England from 6. May. 1916, until 10. Aug. 1916 visiting my Mother & Sister. Who were then living in London. Eng.
On the 10. May. 1916. I left Southampton, for Le’ Harve, France. on the SS Viper. I trained at the base, Le’ Harve, for a few weeks, then I joined a Pioneer, Unit. On the, 24 Aug. 1916. at Ypres, Belgium. On the 14. Sept. 1916. I joined the 18. Battn. (London) at Albert, Somme. I searvd [sic] with that Unit. Through the battles of the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70. Passaendeale [sic]. Amiens. & Arras, in which battle I was wounded, through the left wrist & thigh, but not serious. I left France, for England on the 3. Sept. 1918. landing in England, same date. I went to Whipp’s Cross Hospital, same Hospital as my Father died in, in 1905. I was in England. at the time of the Armistice, was signed, Nov 11. 1918. On Dec. 12. 1918 I sailed from Liverpool on board the SS Regina, after a pleasant trip, we landed at Halifax. On 20. Dec. 1918. We had a pleasant train trip, from Halifax, at 4 O’clock on the 22 DEC, I arrived at London Ont. My friends were there to meet me. On the 6. Jan. 1919. I became engaged to Miss Basham. after nearly three years absent. I joined the Great. War. Veterans. Association on the 28. Feb. 1919. At time of writing I am awaiting discharge, so will conclude?
L/c Charles. Henry. Rogers.
# 123682. 18. Battn.
[i] Possibly Ochardville, Grey County, Ontario.
Summary of Service for Lance-Corporal Charles Harry Rogers, reg. no. 123682
| Date | Event | Remarks |
| September 8, 1897 | Born | Born at London, England. |
| September 27, 1915 | Enlisted C.E.F. | Enlists with the 70th Battalion in London, Ontario. He listed his mother, Eliza Rogers (mother) as his next-of-kin residing at 9 Holmes Street[i], London, England. Listing his trade or calling as “farmer” he stood 5’ 6.75” tall, weighing 135 pounds. |
| September 1915 to April 24, 1916 | Served with the 70th Battalion in Canada | Served with the 70th Battalion in Canada (London, Ontario) until it embarked for England on April 24, 1916. Record card shows clean with no notations or demerits. |
| October 23, 1915 | Anti-Typhoid Inoculation | |
| November 3, 1915 | Anti-Typhoid Inoculation | |
| January 11, 1916 | Admitted | Admitted to Military Hospital, London, Ontario for “acute rheumatism”. |
| January 31, 1916 | Discharged | Discharged to duty. |
| February 15, 1916 | Vaccinated | |
| February 28, 1916 | Vaccinated | |
| April 24, 1916 | Embarks for England | Embarks at Halifax, Nova Scotia with the 70th Battalion aboard the S.S. Lapland for service in England. |
| May 1, 1916 | Assigns Pay | Assigns $15.00 per month to his mother, Eliza Rogers. |
| May 5, 1916 | Arrives England | Arrives with 70th Battalion, at Liverpool, and moved to Shornecliffe, Kent. |
| May 19, 1916 | Anti-Typhoid Inoculation | |
| July 6, 1916 | Transferred | Transferred to the 39th Battalion, a reinforcing battalion, for further training in preparation to being a reinforcement for a line unit. The unit is located in West Sandling. |
| August 10, 1916 | Transferred | Stuck of Strength 39th Battalion and Taken on Strength with 18th Battalion. |
| August 12, 1916 | Arrives France | Travels from Folkestone via Boulogne to the Canadian Base Depot, Etaples, France in preparation to join the 18th. |
| September 17, 1916. | Joins Unit. | Joins the 18th Battalion two days after and Somme attack of Flers-Courcelette where the Canadian Corps, and the 18th Battalion, where heavily engaged in combat. This was very high intensity combat and one of the worse months for the Battalion for casualties. |
| February 16, 1917 | Vaccinated | |
| March 16, 1917 | Admitted | Admitted to No. 6 Canadian Field Ambulance for scabies. |
| March 17, 1917 | Released | Released from No. 6 Canadian Field Ambulance after treatment. |
| November 1, 1917 | Leave | Granted 14 days leave.[ii] |
| May 5, 1918 | Wounded | Wounded G.S.W. left shoulder. Moved from the line to No. 56 Casualty Clearing Station and then via hospital train to No. 5 General Hospital.[iii] |
| May 10, 1918 | Admitted Hospital | Admitted to No. 5 General Hospital, Rouen, France for “G.S.W’s upper extremities”. |
| May 12, 1918 | Moved to Convalescent Depot | Moved to No. 2 Convalescent Depot, Rouen, France. |
| June 6, 1918 | Discharged | Medical Boarded and discharged to service. |
| June 10, 1918 | Transferred | Transferred to Canadian Infantry Base Depot, Etaples. |
| July 3, 1918 | Transferred | Transferred to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp. |
| August 8, 1918 | Rejoins 18th Battalion | Rejoins 18th Battalion. It is stationed near Marcelcave in the Amien sector. That day the Battalion was heavily engaged in combat as part of the 100 Days Campaign. Coincidentally, on the date of his arrival Private Rogers was appointed a Lance-Corporal as soldier Joseph Spinks, reg. no. 455959, was promoted. |
| August 27, 1918 | Wounded | In the Telegraph Hill Sector, near Arras, the Battalion had been heavily engaged that day. The combat resulting in 10 men killed and 150 being wounded. Lance-Corporal Rogers was one of those men with a G.S.W. to the left leg and wrist.[iv] |
| August 28, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to No. 54 General Hospital, Aubenque, France for G.S.W. left leg and wrist. |
| September 2, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to General Military Hospital, Colchester, England. |
| September 9, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to the Whipps Cross War Hospital, Leystone, England. |
| September 25, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to Military Convalescent Hospital, Woodcote, England. |
| January 16, 1919 | Admitted | Admitted Military Hospital, London, Ontario for treatment of “G.S.W. Thigh”. |
| February 11, 1919 | Discharged | Discharged to No. 1 D.D., London, Ontario. |
| April 14, 1919 | Medical Exam | Medical Exam upon discharge at London, Ontario (Military District No. 1). Scabies 17-3-17 fully recovered. Shrapnel wound (slight) to left shoulder 9-5-1918, and reheumatism from 10-1-16 t0 30-1-16. No disability. His height is listed as 5’ 7” and he weighs 140 pounds. |
| April 16, 1919 | Discharged | Discharged from military service at London, Ontario. His intended residence is 941 Elias Street London, Ontario[v]. |
[i] The documentation shows an address of 9 or 91 Holmes “Street”. There appears to be no Holmes Street but a Holmes Road. Other addresses associated with Eliza Rogers appear to be 34 York Street, Hackney Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 and
[ii] With the arrival of, then Private Rogers, to the Battalion in September 1916 until his leave in November 1917 he served without interruption with the Battalion. This would be, in summary: The Somme from September 1916 to December 1916; Lens/Arras from January 1917 to August involving the Battle of Vimy Ridge and Hill 70; and Passchendaele.
[iii] Wounded near Blairville, France. One of 3 men wounded that day, most likely from shrapnel.
[iv] Lance-Corporal rejoined the Battalion at the beginning of the Last 100 Days campaign during which some of the most intense combat the Battalion was to experience occurred. I believe that August 1918 was the worse month for men killed in action making it more intense than the experience of the Battalion at the Somme in September 1916.
[v] This is later amended to 11 Josephine Street, London, Ontario.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 