Description
1914-15 Star, British War & Victory Medal, Boy 1st Class Charles Edgeley, Royal Navy.
Charles joined up shortly after turning 16 in May 1915, seeing most of the war on HMS Carnarvon stationed around North America from 1916-1918, on a Sunday when aged 17, as various prayer parties were being sent ashore from HMS Carnarvon to Montreal to attend church, he took his chance to “Run” from the navy, he was later recovered spending 3 months in Detention at Bermuda, the next destination for the ship.
For this act he initially forfeited his 1914-15 Star, but by the time they were being issued in 1921 he was “subsequently restored and issued” the medal in time to get his trio.
Invalided out the Navy he returned home for a brief period before emigrating to Australia during 1922, he remained there and died in Victoria during 1976.
Star officially impressed: “J. 35835 C. Edgeley. Boy 1. R.N.”
Pair officially impressed: “J. 35835 C. Edgeley. Ord. R.N.”
Trio on original silk ribbons.
Charles Edgeley was born in Walsall, Staffordshire on 6th March 1899.
The son of a Boer War Veteran, Henry Charles Edgeley (Born 1869 in Derbyshire) his entry on the 1901 census for his mother says as occupation: “Husband at War at South Africa”
It looks prior to enlistment he worked as a “Barn Boy”.
He joined the Royal Navy on 12th May 1915, shortly after he had turned 16 years old as a Boy 2nd Class at HMS Impregnable.
Being promoted on 4th November to Boy 1st Class.
Leaving his training behind at Impregnable, he saw his first real ship posting spending most of the war on HMS Carnarvon from 19th November 1915 to 28th February 1918.
During that time he became of age and was rated as Ordinary Seaman on 6th March 1917, on his 18th Birthday.
On 27th September 1916 at Montreal, the ship had Royal Visitors, welcoming HRH The Duke of Connaught, the Duchess and Princess Patricia of Connaught.
However notably during his time on the ship he “Ran” at Montreal from service, looking to have been absent from service from 15th October 1916.
At this time, according to the ships logs, they had been stationed at Montreal for a few weeks, this was actually a Sunday and the ship each week landed various religious parties to attend church, a Church of England, Roman Catholic, Wesleyan and Presbyterian Party were allowed to leave and return back a few hours later, it looks like he used this to his advantage.
It looks like he used this chance to get off the ship and ended up spending a few months over Christmas on the run in Montreal.
Not long afterwards the ship set off for Bermuda, it looks like he was sent there as his papers note “90 Days Detention at MDB Bermuda” (Military Detention Barracks?), being “received on 12th November 1916 at HMS Carnarvon” at which time he was detained until he returned to service on 8th Feb 1917.
Following this after a brief time at Vivid I from March to May 1918, he joined HMS Diligence Depot Ship to serve on board HMS Saumaruez, a “Flotilla Leader” type ship sailing with the Grand Fleet from 30th April 1918 to 25th July 1918.
Following another brief moment at Vivid I, he finished off with a final ship posting on HMS Benbow from 17th December 1918 until 28th May 1919.
He was invalided out of service on 5th November 1919 at Vivid I from a “Painful scar”.
Having been invalided out young, he returned home to Walsall, and during 1921 worked with his father at London and North Western Railway Co as a Railway Service, Carpenters Assistant.
But soon after in the next year he left Walsall behind and set sail from London for Melbourne, Australia on the ship Esperance Bay on 5th December 1922, shown as a “Farm Worker”.
He remained in Australia for the rest of his life, later died in Donvale, Victoria, Australia during 1976.
He had lived around Victoria, in Canterbury, Kooying during the 1920s and 1930s, then Prahran, Fawkner in 1940s, St Kilda North in the 1950s and later Blackburn North, Deakin in Victoria having lived all around the State of Victoria.
