SUTTON, Charles

Charles Sutton was born in Brierley Hill and enlisted in the Devons. He went to the 9th Battalion in the 7th Division. They went to the Western Front in August 1915 and were ready for front line action in the 1916 Battle of the Somme. They fought at Mametz, High Wood and Ginchy and in 1917 followed up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. In April 1917 they were given the heavy task of attacking the Line at Bullecourt. Four days in early May saw a brave but unsuccessful attempt at its capture. The depleted force continued to hold the line through all kinds of shelling and raids. Private Charles Sutton was killed on the 22nd June, probably by shelling, and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial and on the Brierley Hill and Brierley Hill church Memorials.