Photo: Brian Chandler
The family headstone reads:
In
loving memory of
Charles Osborne Punter
Private 2/5th Leicester Regiment
who was wounded
at Cambrai on Dec.6th 1917
died in Colchester Military
Hospital
on Dec.22nd 1918, age 20,
the eldest son of
Sankey D & Edith A Punter,
Also the above
Sankey David Punter
died Sep.17th 1944
aged 70 years,
cremated at West Road
and his wife
Edith Ann Punter
died June 10th 1959,
aged 85 years,
also cremated.
Charles was born in the third quarter of 1898, the eldest of two sons, to Sankey David and Edith Ann (nee Read) of 102 Dilston Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. There is some confusion as to the regiments in which he served, but he is recorded as serving with the 28th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry at the time of his death, although he had been transferred to the Depot Battalion. He originally enlisted with the Leicester Regiment (40513, Private) on 17th August 1916 and when he received his call-up on 31st January 1917, he initially joined the Training Reserve Battalion (G/10956, Private). He moved with the Expeditionary Force to France on 19th September 1917.
Charles received a gunshot wound to his back and was admitted to Woburn Military Hospital on 31st December 1917. He was transferred to the General Military Hospital, Colchester on 25th March 1918, where he sadly later died of Appendicitis.
Acknowledgements: Ron Carson.
Charles is remembered at Fenham on F31.21 and at Newcastle on NUT007, NUT070, column 5, NUT117 and in NUT126 page 28.
