No.3/8804, Lance Corporal, Charlie HEFFER
Aged 19
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Charlie Heffer was born in 1896 in Lackford (Thingoe Q3-1896 4A:782) son of Charles and Mary Jane HEFFER (née CARPENTER).
His mother died in 1900. 1901 census...Aged 4, he was at Holywell Row, Mildenhall with his widower father Charles HEFFER [32] shepherd born Mildenhall; brother John [6] born Mildenhall; sister Alice M [3] born Lackford and aunt Margaret CARPENTER [22] born Mildenhall In 1902 his father married his 1st wife's sister, Margaret CARPENTER. 1911 census...Aged 14, he was at Cavenham with his father and stepmother Margaret (née CARPENTER); brother John (shepherd), half brothers Joe [5]and Fred [3], both born in Cavenham; sister Alice and half sisters Selina [8] born Lackford and May [10 months] born Cavenham. The pension card has hisfather moving later to New Downs Farm, Sandwich, Kent.
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Charlie enlisted in Bury St. Edmunds. The 2nd Battalion, Suffolks was in it's assembly area on the night of 1st March near Bedford House on the St.Eloi-Ypres road. They were to try and retake our trenches recently lost to the Germans The attack started at 0445 'B', 'C' and 'D' companies on the south side of the Bluff. Immediately star shells were sent up by the Germans turning night into day. Our artillery then opened up on their 2nd line, our troops already being through the first line, having taken the enemy by surprise. 'A' company on the left was not so lucky, being caught by a counter barrage before they could leave King Street. By 0700 the lost trenches had been re captured. The ground was in a terrible state, churned up by the barrages and the battalion left the line sparsely occupied while they returned to the assembly trenches. An enemy barrage continued all day, but our artillery countered effectively. A successful operation result in the recapture of all the ground previously lost, but at the cost of 250 casualties out of the 500 employed. It was, incidentally, the first operation when they wore the newly issued steel helmets (the tin hats) CWGC records 53 killed, and only 6 having an identified grave.
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
