Family :

Education & Career :

He read Medicine at Edinburgh University.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

13 October - 2 November 1914.The battle of Armentieres was one of a series of battles that in 1914 constituted the so called 'Race to the Sea', a series of outflanking moves where the Germans and the British/French Armies sought to turn the flank of the other as the moved towards the English Channel. As the momentum slowed, the contacts evolved into trench warfare.It was closely linked with the Battles of Messines and La Bassee. Following the capture of Armentieres on 17th October 1914 the British were forced on the defensive.

Detail :

BENTLEY, Charles Arthur Campbell, Captain, 1/Royal Warwickshire Regiment The story of Captain Bentley illustrates the problem of research from a range of nearly 100 years. The facts are that he was killed at the Battle of Armentieres on 23rd October 1914. He was a career soldier who had gone through the Boer War with the Scots Greys (Queen's Medal with six clasps, King's with two), was present with his regiment during the retreat from Mons on Paris and thence during the series of battles that developed back towards the Belgian frontier. He left a wife and three little children, to whom he was devoted. The events of the 23rd October were the subject of an article in the Birmingham Weekly Post on November 28th 1914. A relative of Captain BENTLEY forwarded an account by Private S.Harper, of the same regiment, who was confined to the Craigleith Military Hospital, Edinburgh:- "Captain Bentley took splendid care of his men, and always went well ahead cheering them on. We said he must have a charmed life. He did not seem to know what fear was, and that made them all brave, too. It was at the little village..(Houplines ed), near Armentieres, where he was killed. The Warwicks were told this village must be taken at any cost, so four companies were sent out, and Captain Bentley's company had to lead. They had to make a turning movement to get round the village. 270 set out to do it, and when they took the place there were only twenty left - 100 were killed and 150 wounded. The captain was at the head of the twenty when he fell. He was sniped in three places. He never seemed to think of his wounds and just went on cheering the men, and almost the last words he said were "Go on my men. Keep up the good name of the Warwicks. Don't give in". They took the village and they held it against 800 Germans until the Fusiliers came up to help them. This account was later repeated in The Bond of Sacrifice Vol 2 but it adds that "he lived for a few hours after he was wounded". Three days after the Daily Graphic the Times printed a touching poem inspired by the original story" "Slain by a Prussian bullet, leading the men who loved him, Dying, cheered them on" Recently the diary of Lt Hamilton was published. It offers a quite different account. The relentless march continued on September 11 through Montigny, Vaux, St Quentin to Villers Le Petit where they spent the night. Lieutenant Hamilton revealed that his commander, Captain C.A.C Bentley (A Coy), had "liberated" wine in a cellar and filled two flasks and a water bottle. The sequel the next morning - "We moved off early. Bentley as drunk as an owl. The Coy Sergt.Major was put in charge of him and placed under arrest at the rear of the column". On September 14 Hamilton noted that Captain Bentley was still under arrest. On the 18th Bentley was still "with the Sergeant Major" but "returned" later in the day to resume command of 'A' company. On the following day Hamilton confided to his diary that "I wish I might command this company or had a Captain I could trust to keep sober". On September 22 Captain Bentley was clearly frustrating Hamilton for he recorded "another hopeless dream about Bentley". On September 29 Bentley featured in another Hamilton dream. He noted "Couldn't they find him a staff job?" On October 4 Captain Bentley was court martialled and "given a chance and told that if his conduct was alright for the rest of the war the entry would be washed off his records altogether"..I feel sorry for him but can never forgive him for the risks he runs when drunk. The men will not follow him but nothing will induce him to believe this". On October 17 Hamilton noted that Bentley was "at his old games again". On October 22 Hamilton recorded, "We had a more or less quiet night and made use of it by digging excellent trenches from 5.30 p.m. till 4 a.m. Bentley was drunk again and had to be taken back to the trench by two NCOs". On October 23 Captain Bentley was killed on a difficult day when the battalion took up a "very extended line with every available man in the firing line". Hamilton detailed the circumstances, "Bannerman had heard about Bentley and went along to put him under arrest. B saw him coming and staggered out of the trench to meet him when a shell landed between them, killing Bentley and wounded Bannerman. So that was the end of poor Bentley and I took complete command of 'A' company, much to my joy". So what is the truth? It is almost impossible to say with certainty, but the one certainty is that Captain Bentley gave his life in defence of his country. Source: GWF http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=124952

Masonic :

Joined the English Constitution from the Scottish on the 7th August 1912
Junior Warden

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley