Charles Ridley was born on 10th September 1890 to parents Thomas and Mary Jane Ridley (nee Shiplow). He was their first son.

The 1891 Census shows Charles as being just six months old. His parents are living with Thomas Ridley’s in-laws, Charles and Elizabeth Shiplow, at 87 Osbourne Street, Bradford. Both Charles Shiplow and Thomas Ridley are listed as being bakers.

The 1901 Census shows the family now living at 22 Osbourne Street, Bradford. Thomas was working as a ‘Local Insurance Inspector’. At this time, Charles now had two younger brothers, Fred, born in 1892 and Tom, born in 1897. There would be a fourth brother, John born in 1902, but sadly he died the following year. Mary Jane Ridley died herself in 1905. Thomas would re-marry Carrie Barker in 1908.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 75 Marsh Street, Bradford. Thomas was now a ‘Sanitary Inspector’. The three brothers were also working: Charles (20) as a Clerk with a Cloth Manufacturer (Messrs Sutcliffe and Rawson), Fred (18) as a Packer at a Cloth Warehouse and Tom (13) as a Doffer in a Spinning factory.

By the outbreak of war in 1914, the Ridley family were living at 76 Smiddles Lane Bradford.

All three brothers would serve in the Great War…

Following the outbreak of war in August 1914 and the full mobilisation of the city’s Territorial Force battalion (6th Bn. West Yorkshire Regt.) the same month, the public’s enthusiasm to enlist had only increased. The raising of the first ‘Bradford Battalion’ of the Bradford Citizens Army League (later 16th Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment – but to the people of Bradford, ALWAYS the ‘1st Bradford Pals’!) took place beginning on Monday September 21st 1914 - they were complete in just a week.

However this rush to enlist into the Bradford Pals (and subsequently the 2nd Bradford Pals – 18th Bn. West Yorkshire Regt. in February 1915) meant many early recruits were now being lost as their skills/education were now found to be more useful to the War Effort elsewhere. A steady stream of men going to more specialist units, such as the Royal Engineers etc., and also being commissioned as officers reduced numbers in the Pals battalions. This now meant there were vacancies…On 20th May 1915, Fred Ridley was now able to enlist into the 1st Bradford Pals as no. 16/1428.

The introduction of the ‘Derby Scheme’ in November 1915 meant that both Charles and Tom Ridley would now have to ‘attest’ thus agreeing to serve in the armed forces ‘if required to do so’. Such men would be called up in their class as required, based on their age and marital status.

For Charles Ridley, now aged 25 and single, he would be called up as one of the first and his date of enlistment in the Bradford Roll of Honour is given as 24th February 1916. He would have little or no choice as to the branch of service in which he would be placed, the default being the infantry. Charles would be sent away for training and it seems this would have been with the Princess Alexandra’s Own ‘Yorkshire’ Regiment, also known as the ‘Green Howards’. Charles Ridley would be assigned the regimental number 27595.

Charles Ridley’s training can be assumed to have been approximately six months before being allocated to be part of a detachment of replacements sent out to France to a battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. This timing would equate for Charles to be sent to France in around July/August 1916…

…At home, in July, the family had been shattered by the news of the destruction of the Bradford Pals on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916 – indeed they would have learned that Fred Ridley had been one of those killed this day…And now Charles was about to go to France…

Following his arrival in France, Charles Ridley would have been sent to the ‘Bull Ring’ at Etaples for final training before being allocated to his battalion. For Charles, this would be the 10th Bn Yorkshire Regt.

The 10th Yorkshires had also been involved in the first actions of the Battle of the Somme. On 1st July 1916, they had been in support in the attack at Fricourt. One company (‘B’), under the leadership of Major S.W. Loudon-Shand (who was wounded and would be awarded the Victoria Cross), went into action with 5 officers and 117 men, only 1 officer and 27 men came back. On the 2nd, they continued the attack at ‘The Poodles’ and on the 3rd at ‘Shelter Wood’. After a brief respite, the battalion were back in action at Mametz Wood from the 13th and at Bazentin-le-Petit on the 16th.

Finally, they were relieved on 20th July and proceeded by march route and train northwards arriving in the quieter Arras sector on 23rd July 1916.

Here the 10th Yorkshires would remain until September 1916. It would be at this time that Charles Ridley would likely have joined them as the battalion was now given time to assimilate reinforcements, both new officers and men, reorganise platoons and companies and gain some first-hand experience in the trenches here.

On 13th September 1916, the 10th Yorkshires, now with Charles Ridley part of them, would return to the Somme…

15th September 1916 would see a new phase of the Somme, termed the ‘Battle of Flers-Courcelette’, a successful action historically made famous by the first use of tanks. Although the 10th Yorkshires would not take direct part in this, they would be brought up the line to relieve troops and hold the positions taken in front of Flers facing Gueudecourt.

Annotated Transcript of the 10th Bn. Yorkshire Regt.:

14/9/1916 – Bivouac – In Bivouac getting Camp into order. Inspection of Iron Rations, Gas Helmets etc. Bivouac at E.9.c Central

15/9/1916 – Bivouac – Left Bivouac at 8am and moved to BECORDEL CAMP (E 12.a.central) arrived there at 10am, refitting remainder of day

6/9/1916 – Becordel Camp – Left BECORDEL CAMP at 6am, arrived at POMMIERS REDT. Halfway between MAMETZ and MONTAUBAN at 9am. Left Redoubt at 9pm to relieve trenches near GUEUDECOURT. Relief complete at 6.45am (on 17th). Trenches situated N.32.c.7.5 to N.31.b.4.0, Sheet 57C SW

17/9/1916 – Trenches – In front line, considerable shelling on both sides, in touch on left flank with QUEEN’S. W.SURREY on right flank with 13th N.F. busy consolidating. There was an attack by Brigade on our right on GIRD TRENCH.

18/9/1916 – Trenches – In front line, turned very wet, 6in to 2ft of mud and slush, the usual bombardment going on the whole time, men very wet and uncomfortable. Tot of rum a blessing in early morning to them, food and water coming up very badly owing to bad state of roads etc.

Colonel Wylly of the regiment records that it was necessary to keep the wounded in the trenches for 3 days, the shelling being so intense it was impossible to get them away…

…27595 Pte Charles Ridley is listed as being one of those killed on 17th September 1916. It will never be known whether Charles was killed outright by shellfire that day or had died of such wounds and that he could not be got back for medical treatment that might have saved his life…He has no identified grave…

A study of CWGC records for the 10th Yorkshires lists six casualties:

33039 Pte Benny Burton

27595 Pte Charles Ridley

20398 Pte Sam Apps MM

27393 Pte Albert Lister

12506 Pte Thomas Robson

20227 Pte George Price Hunter

None of these men have identified graves and are thus commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. However it is possible their bodies were found, not identified, and reburied in local war cemeteries as ‘unknown’s after the war.

For his War Service, Thomas and Carrie, would eventually receive Charles’s War and Victory medals. They would also receive his bonze commemorative plaque.

It is impossible to imagine feelings of the Ridley family at the imminent departure of their two remaining sons at the time the news was breaking that Fred Ridley had been killed with the 1st Bradford Pals in July 1916…

Charles Ridley had indeed gone to France at about this time and had been killed on the Somme just weeks later on 17th September 1916…Given the loss of two sons in a matter of weeks, attempts would now be made on Thomas and Carrie’s behalf, to try save their remaining son, Tom…before it was too late…

But it was too late, Tom Ridley would be killed in action on 1st November 1916…

The loss of these three brothers, the only children of Thomas and Carrie featured in the Bradford newspaper…

…Fred and Tom Ridley’s stories too are also preserved on CWGC ‘For Evermore’…

Unable to bear the grief at the loss of their three sons in a matter of months, and being constantly reminded of them by their home and surroundings, Thomas and Carrie Ridley left Bradford and set up a new home in Oxfordshire. Thomas passed away and was buried in Headington in 1930. Carrie indeed returned to Bradford to live in Bowling, alone, where she passed away in 1970, aged 92…

All three brothers are commemorated on the Little Horton war memorial Bradford, outside St Ostwald’s Church.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The author would like to especially thank Margaret Holden, for finding the original newspaper clipping and photographs relating to the Ridley family, she was as shocked as I was when the importance of this article sank home… ‘In memory of our city’s WW1 soldiers…’

David P.Whithorn