Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Pozieres Memorial | II.F.15 | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 11D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Captain Charles Nevill Stiff was the son of John Thomas Carlton Stiff & Maria Eliza his Wife, and lived at 'ALFOXDEN' Chestnut Ave Torquay.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment |
1/4th Battalion August 1914 : in Northallerton. Part of York & Durham Brigade, Northumbrian Division. 18 April 1915 : landed at Boulogne. 14 May 1915 : formation became 150th Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division. 16 July 1918 : reduced to cadre strength and moved to Lines of Communication. 16 August 1918 : transferred to 116th Brigade, 39th Division. 6 November 1918 : demobilised. |
| Action : The First Battles of the Somme 1918 and associated actions |
21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.
Lance-Corporal Charles Nevill Carleton Stiff, from the Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yeomanry, to be Second Lieutenant. Dated 5th April, 1915.
To be Temporary Captain (LG#29213, 1st July 1915) 4th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's (Yorkshire Regiment)
To be Acting Captain (LG#30458, 5th January 1918) Labour Corps.
To be Acting Captain (LG#30608, 3rd April 1918) Yorkshire Regt.
Lt. C. N. C. Stiff to be actg. Capt. whilst comdg. a Co. 13th Feb. 1918.
Detail :
Charles CARLETON-STIFF was born in Eastbourne in 1882 and in the early stages of the war served in the ranks of the Yorkshire Hussars before being granted his commission. He joined the 4th battalion towards the end of the Somme offensive in October of 1916 and remained in this area through Christmas and the New Year of 1917. Captain Carleton-Stiff and the battalion were moved to the Arras sector towards the end of March 1917 and fought in the area of Wancourt during the Battle of Arras. When the German spring offensive opened in March 1918 the 4th battalion were in training at Ignaucourt and were rushed up to the line at Hancourt and positioned between the Cologne and Omignon rivers. On March 22nd the 66th Division retreated through the battalion line leaving the 4th battalion in the forward area. Under the German onslaught they were forced to retire to a line of old trenches in rear of the battalion HQ at Hancourt. Captain Charles Neville Carleton-Stiff was killed during this retreat on March 22nd 1918 at the age of 36. His body was not recovered and identified and he is remembered today on the Pozieres Memorial just off the road between Albert and Bapaume and also on Torquay War Memorial. Captain Carleton-Stiff was the son of John Thomas and Maria Eliza Carleton-Stiff of ?Alfoxden?, Chestnut Avenue in Torquay. The 1921 Masonic Roll of Honour lists him as Charles Neville Carleton STIFF. http://www.ww1-yorkshires.org.uk/pdf-files/officers-died-ww1(coulson).pdf
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Zetland No. 561 E.C. | Yorkshire (North & East Ridings) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th September 1911 | 15th November 1911 | 20th December 1911 |
Carlton-Stiff Was a Freemason in the Province of Yorkshire North and East Ridings No 561 Zetland Lodge.
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