Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Charles Houghton was born 1891 at Widnes, Lancashire, the third of 4 sons and a daughter. His father William Houghton and mother Margaret Moore were both born in 1864 at Poplar, London, they married at Bedminster, Somerset in 1882. They had made their way via Manchester, St Helens and Widnes in Lancashire to Gateshead by 1891 living at St Thomas Street, where William was employed as a chemical labourer. Charles’s elder brothers Joseph (16) and William (14) were apprentices in the glass bottle trade. In 1901, the family had moved to 2, Park Cottages, Gateshead, their father was still employed as a chemical labourer.
Charles Houghton enlisted at Gateshead, July 17th 1908, for a period of 4 years, assigned as Private 504 to the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, he re-engaged for 1 year July 15th 1912, during which time he was still engaged in civilian occupation as a chemical labourer. he attended every year the regiments annual training camp. He re-engaged April 24th 1913 for a further 2 years. On the outbreak of war as per his enlistment contract, obliging him to serve overseas in a time of emergency, he was embodied August 5th 1914. Spending the opening months at South Shield with the battalion digging trenches, he was appointed Lance Corporal September 9th 1914. They were sent for training to Ravensworth, Boldon and Newcastle. May 26th 1915, he was drafted to Boulogne, France via Folkestone where he joined his regiment in the field. The 9th Battalion was fighting on the salient near Ypres in Belgium when the Germans used poisonous gas for the first time on the Western Front. Only one day after his arrival on the battlefield Private Houghton was taken, suffering from the effects of poisoning, to the 9th Dressing Station and then by the Field Ambulance to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station, finally being admitted to hospital at Vemereux, June 30th 1915. Six days later he was sent to the Convalescence Depot at Boulogne where he stayed until June 20th 1915 when he was discharged, sent to the Base Depot and rejoined the 9th Battalion attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division, in the field June 27th 1915, they were still involved in the fighting on the Ypres salient and around Armentieres.
August 12th 1915 he sustained a gun shot wound to the head and classed as dangerously wounded. He was initially admitted to the General Service Hospital at Armentieres and then transferred to the 3rd casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul the following day.
Lance Corporal Charles Houghton died of wounds sustained whilst on active service, August 13th 1915 and was interred by the Army Chaplain at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, grave I. C. 60. His grave was marked with a wooden cross bearing his military details. This was later replaced by a military headstone. Lance Corporal Houghton was 24 years old and single.
August 21st 1915 his father wrote a letter to Battalion Headquarters on the advice of a Captain Lambert, requesting news of his son, as he had seen letters sent by two serving soldiers of the 9th Battalion to their mothers, telling them of the wounding of his son Charles, one wrote, he had heard that Charles was progressing well. He stated, “you will greatly oblige me if you will reply as soon as possible to aleive (alleviate) his mother’s feelings, with apologies for troubling you, I remain, yours truly, William Houghton’. Unfortunately the response received confirmed their son's death and an apology for the breakdown in communications.
His family received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star. British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to them at 2, Reay Street, Bill Quay, near Gateshead, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Charles Houghton is remembered as G. Houghton at Heworth on H92.03
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 213
