Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Born in Middlesbrough on 15th January 1890 to shipyard riveter John William Pinkney and his wife Sarah Annie Wilkinson, Charles was their first born and aged one was living with his parents and paternal uncle in a shared house in Low Commercial Street. By 1901 the family had their own house in Richmond Street and Charles had been joined by sister Florence, and brothers Fred and Philip. The 1911 census shows that the family had moved to live in Jackson Street, West Hartlepool where Charles had found work as a ship’s carpenter.

Two years later in March 1913 Charles emigrated to Canada, sailing from Liverpool on the SS Victorian with the intention of making for Estevan, Saskatchewan. He returned to England the following year to marry Emily Thompson Old in Sunderland on 31st March and then returned to Canada alone. Emily did not join him in Estevan until October 1914, where their son Charles Frederick was born in August 1915, followed by a daughter, Florence Emily, in April 1917, a daughter he never got to meet.

On 22nd January 1916 Charles enlisted with the 152nd (Weyburn-Estevan) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Estevan and giving his wife as his next of kin he became Private 925274. Promoted to Lance Corporal at the end of March, he twice went AWOL before sailing with the Battalion on board the SS Missanabie from Nova Scotia to Liverpool arriving on 13th October 1916. Posted to East Sandling Camp the 152nd was absorbed into the 32nd Reserve Battalion, and it was here on 12th November that Lance Corporal Pinkney reverted to the rank of Private in order to be posted to France with the 5th Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. Joining the 5th at Berthonval Wood in February, three months later he was promoted to Corporal, before being admitted to hospital in Etaples with otitis media, inflammation of the ear. Rejoining his battalion at Loos in mid July he was promoted to Sergeant in late August.

It was during the fighting at Mosselmarkt in Belgium on 10th November 1917 that Sergeant Pinkney was killed supporting an attack to the west of Passchendaele. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial.

Charles Pinkney is remembered in the Hartlepools on H115.30, W111.54 and W111.86 page 30

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance, and on the memorial in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Also on this memorial is the name of his son Charles Frederick Pinkney killed in action at Dieppe on 19th August 1942 whilst serving with the South Saskatchewan Regiment during WW2.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
The Canadian Virtual Memorial
The CWGC entry for Sergeant Pinkney