HOWELL, Charles Joseph

Charles Howell was the son of Mr Charles. E. Howell who lived at Wollescote House and later at Abbotsford, Pedmore, and was a Director of both Noah Hingley and Sons and of Harts Hill Iron Co. His grandfather was Alfred Feeney, owner of the Birmingham Daily Post. It was a musical family and Charles was an accomplished violinist.. He was educated at Alton Castle Preparatory School and Cotton College, Oakamoor Staffordshire. This was a Roman Catholic boarding school with a chapel dedicated to St. Wilfred. He went on to Birmingham University where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps. When war came in 1914, he was commissioned to the Worcestershire Regiment and served in the 9th (Service) Battalion. They joined the Force which went to Gallipoli in 1915 to break the stalemate which had been reached. He was invalided to Malta with dysentery soon after his arrival at Lemnos but then served as machine-gun officer from August to December, 1915. He then took part in the evacuation both of Suvla and Cape Helles and after a short spell in Egypt went to Mesopotamia, having in the meantime been granted a permanent commission in the York and Lancaster Regt. He was wounded in April, 1916, and went briefly to India. He rejoined the brigade in July, was gazetted Lieutenant in August, and the Brigade then left for Mesopotamia. The fall of Kut to the Turkish forces had been a very serious blow to the Allies and its recapture was the main task of the British force for nearly a year. Several attempts were made to advance up the Tigris, but both heat and geography helped the defenders. In December 1916 a concerted effort was made to advance again and on the 25th January 1917 a major attack was made on the outlying defences beside the river Hai. Although there was no breakthrough, the Turks fell back and Kut was taken. Casualties, however, were high and included Lieutenant Charles Howell. He was 23 years old and within three weeks of his twenty-fourth birthday. He is buried in Amara War Cemetery (18 B 8) and commemorated on the Stourbridge and Stourbridge Roman Catholic Church Memorials with personal memorials at both the Roman Catholic Church and St. Wilfred's chapel, Cotton College.