Sam Charlesworth was born on 7th March 1890 and baptised as St Luke’s Church, Eccleshill on 5th November 1893, the son of Joseph and Christiana Charlesworth. Joseph was a dyer and the family were living at 14 Charnwood Road, Eccleshill. Joseph had first married in 1867 to Mary Ann Wilford and they had had four children. Mary Ann died in 1878 at the age of 34 years, leaving Joseph to rear their four children. Joseph married again on 15th January 1882 at St Oswald’s Church, Guiseley. He married Christiana Hudson 33 years, a filler, living in Horsforth. Their eldest child, Selina, was born in Horsforth in 1884 but her siblings Tom born 1888 and Sam born 1890 were both born in Bradford when the family were living at 10 Charnwood Road.

Joseph was still working as a dyer of wool but died in 1892 at the age of 50 years. The family moved to 50 Charnwood Road and in 1901 Christiana is working as a Charwoman with only Sam at 11 years of age still at school. Ellen, Selina and Tom were working. In April 1908 Sam enlisted as Private 9235 in the 6th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment and gave his address as 24 Charnwood Road. He was 18 years of age. This territorial force was created in 1908 as the 2nd Battalion of the Yorkshires and became the 6th Battalion with Regimental Headquarters at Belle View Barracks, Bradford. On the 1911 census he is shown as

21 years of age and single with the 2nd Battalion of the Alexandra Princess of Wales Yorkshire Regiment stationed in York. The Yorkshires landed at Le Havre in November 1914 for service on the Western Front. Sam fought at Mons, Armentieres and Ypres but during the first winter campaign had to enter hospital with frost bitten feet. On recovering, he was sent to the Dardanelles and was there slightly wounded in the head. He arrived in France again on 1st July and took part in the Great Push Sam was killed in action on the 29th September 1916, aged 26. He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, his body not being recovered for burial.

He had been a serving soldier for nine years and was aged 26.Three are other soldiers from the Yorkshire’s killed on the same date and remembered on this memorial. Their deaths came at the end of the 1916 Battle of the Somme but there does not appear to have been a major battle around this time so it will not be possible to know exactly what happened to them. He left his effects of £23.15.2d to his siblings, £5.18.10d each to his brother Tom, his sister Selina, his ½ brother Edward, and £5.18.9d to his ½ brother Joseph who received their share on the 24th April 1917. His War Gratuity of £12.0.0d was left to his ½ brother Edward who received it on the 29th of August 1919. Researched and written by Jean Britteon, to whom many thanks.