Private Charles Joseph Church
Charles Church was born in London, England on April 18, 1896. He immigrated to Canada and worked as a farm hand. He was a Roman Catholic. Charles was single and 19 years old when he enlisted with the 125th Battalion in Paris.
He was a member of the 10th Platoon that embarked aboard the S.S Scandinavia on February 12, 1916. The 9th and 10th Platoons were the first contingent of soldiers from Paris, nearly 100 men, to go overseas. He was transferred to the 4th Battalion on November 22, 1916 and served in France until May 2, 1917 and again from October 12, 1917 until August 8, 1918.
Charles was wounded on August 13, 1918. He suffered a wound in his right leg caused by a shell fragment and was taken to hospital for treatment. On August 13, the 4th Canadian Infantry Battalion was actively engaged in the opening stages of the Hundred Days Offensive. Following their initial breakthroughs at the Battle of Amiens, the battalion was facing fierce German resistance and grueling counter-attacks around the heavily contested village of Parvillers, France. After pushing back German lines at Amiens, the Canadian Corps was locked in brutal, day-to-day trench warfare over small scraps of strategic territory, including the area near Fouquescourt and Parvillers. This battle was part of the early period of "Canada's Hundred Days," a string of Allied offensives that ultimately forced the end of the First World War.
Private Charles Church returned to Canada on January 2, 1919. He is buried in the Paris Cemetery.