Click
on the banner above for a tour through Liam's war memorabilia. |
"My
Granddad died in 1965. I was never old enough to talk to him
about his experiences during the First World War and knowing
what I do now I doubt he would have volunteered any information."
Foster
William Charlton was a true Leicester lad and was known as
Bill to his mates. He joined the Royal Artillery in February
1909 and left in 1921 having risen to Sergeant. During the
war he fought in France and went right through the conflict
without a scratch. He was an "old contemptible" - one of the
men who saw the war in and saw it out.
Piecing together the story from his army service book and
photographs it seems he served with his best friend in the
trenches and saw him wounded and subsequently die in 1918.
As his friend lay dying in a field hospital he was visited
by a priest who wrote down his dying words in a letter to
his mother in Leicester.
"We
found the letter tucked inside the cover of Granddad's service
book - a treasured memory. In those last days my Granddad
promised his friend he would look after his little sister
for him, he married her and it was she who gave him the letter.
And yes the little sister was my grandma."
Have you got a story to tell about a family hero? We
would like to hear from you at BBC Leicester
|
Latest global news in your language in our 
