Elms Charles Edward CSM 4435437
Personnel Entry
Name Elms Charles Edward
Army number 4435437
Rank WO II (CSM).
Decorations None yet known, beyond WW1 Victory Medal and War Medal plus the 1915 Star, and WW2 service medals together with Indian General Service Medal with North West Frontier clasp.
Date of birth Born 4/5/1895, birth registered Q1 1895, Brentford, Middlesex.
Age 79 at the time of his death.
Unit Served in the DLI as 11224 - possibly from 1915. Posted to 1st Battalion DLI. Served in India. Attested for the Army 1/3/1919 aged 25 (this should perhaps have been recorded as 24) in Rawalpindi. Re-enlisted as a Regular soldier for 7 and 5 years. Extended his service to probably complete 22 years for pension. Discharged with exemplary conduct record under King's Regulations Para 383 (xxii) 14/10/1938. Enlisted in the E Reserve. Recalled to the Colours. Posted to 10th Battalion DLI. Served B.E.F.? Served Iceland? Served Normandy?
Relegated to Z Reserve 17/8/1945.
Company/Battery Headquarters Company.
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role Company Sergeant Major.
Joined Brigade Not yet known but probably 1/9/1939.
Promotions None further, so far as is known.
Wounded Not as far as is known.
Prisoner of War Not as far as is known.
Died/Killed in action Died 2/1/1975. Death registered January 1975 in Sunderland. Probate granted Newcastle Registry 16/6/1975.
Home address Lived in Twickenham at the time of the 1901 Census at 24 Gould Road. Father - Alfred Elms, Mother - Leonie Charlotte Butler. In 1911 he was 16, living at Crane Road, Twickenham as the eldest child of his mother, who was described as Head of Household as his father was not present at the time of the Census. No trace of a marriage has been found.
Source table
The Enlistment Book entries relating to his earlier service are difficult to read and the interpretation set out above is based on some assumptions about when he was enlisted. It may be that he volunteered for WW1 and then re-enlisted as a Regular soldier while already serving in India.
His name was included on a 1940 Acquittance Roll for the 10th Battalion's HQ Company dated 11/5/1940 held on file at The National Archives.
