Current Information:

Age-22

43, Wood Wharf, Greenwich

Born-Deptford

Vieille-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture, France

On 13th March, 1915, after their involvement in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the 2nd East Lancashire battalion of 24 Brigade, 8th Division, were relieved and moved back to billets in Rouge Croix. On the following day, 14th March, a HE shell landed exactly on the building housing D Company, killing 24 Men and wounding another 37. Despite this setback 2nd East Lancashire moved into the front line that evening taking over trenches near Laventie where they remained until relieved on 16th March. Charles Lodder was one of the five men killed here on 15th March, a day on which the battalion diary recorded that nothing of importance happened. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.