Charles Bullard

Born: 1891

Died: 6 November 1918

Rank and Regiment: Private 202067 in the 12th and 13th Battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Resting Place: Berlaimont Communal Cemetery Extension, France - Plot B. 6

Memorials: St. Peter and St. Paul, Barnham Broom, United Kingdom

Charlie Bullard was born in Barnham Broom 1891 to parents James and Sarah Ann Bullard, and had 4 brothers, Robert, William, Walter and Stephen.

James was a remarkable man. He appears himself to have had a fairly lengthy service in the infantry, being a private in the “5th Regiment of Foot” or to give it its full title the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot. He also appears to have served in the 90th Regiment of Foot, otherwise known as the Perthshire Volunteers. Chelsea Hospital had struggled with Norfolk place names, recording James’ place of birth in an 1865 record as “Pemhanbroom”.

James had married for the first time in 1865, his bride, Elizabeth Andrews, being some 13 years his junior. He appears to have been unable to sign his name in the marriage register. After Elizabeth’s death he had married Sarah Ann Thurlow, who was no less than 29 years younger than him. They had four sons, William, Walter, Charles and Stephen.

The 1901 census records Charles living at the family home with his parents as well as his three youngest brothers. By the time of the 1911 Census, James was able to sign the Census return neatly and legibly. James was recorded as an Army Pensioner, while Walter, Charlie (as he was then called) and Stephen were all working as agricultural labourers. William had married and was living separately.

Virtually none of Charlie Bullard’s military records survive, other than a note of a great many changes of regiment and changes of service number. He enlisted in Norwich and was initially No 5394 in the Norfolk Regiment; he then transferred to the 1/4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment as No 7911; and was then successively with the 1/4th Northumberland Fusiliers as No 4/5202, the 1/7th, 12th, and 12/13th Northumberland Fusiliers as No 202067. He finally appears to have transferred back to the 1/4th Northumberland Fusiliers retaining that service number. Perhaps James felt some small pride that his son was serving in his old regiment.

In November 1918, Charles’ Battalion was part of the Final Advance in Picardy at the Battle of the Selle. Here, the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment captured the key strategic area of Poix-du-Nord, whilst Charles’ Battalion pushed through beyond the village. Having gained this ground, the entire division returned to the frontline on the 5th November where they captured Berlaimont. The next day, as the battalion fought their way across the River Sambre near Aulnoye, Charles was tragically killed in action less than a week before Armistice. He was buried in the Berlaimont Communal Cemetery Extension and his effects of £18. 11s. 2d. were left to his mother.

The rest of the Bullard family survived the war. There is no record of William’s War service, but we know that he survived the war; he appears in the 1939 Register still working as a farm labourer.

Meanwhile, Walter (Private 570527) enlisted in the 4th Battalion of the Norfolk regiment on 22nd November 1915 and was posted to France shortly after. On the 1st October 1916, his Battalion was part of a large allied offensive at the Somme, known as the Battle of Le Transloy. On 5th October 1916, Walter was reported missing in no man’s land. After two days he was found and admitted to field hospital with a gunshot wound to his left side on his back, arm, and shoulder. From here, he was sent home to England where he received 92 days of hospital treatment. He was then transferred to the Labour Corps and deployed back to France on 29th April 1917 until he was demobilised on 21st February 1919. He was finally discharged from the army on 23rd March 1919 and received a disability pension due to his injuries. He received the British War and Victory Medals with three blue chevrons; one for each of his years abroad. He remained in Norfolk and worked as a farm labourer until his death in 1961 at the age of 73.

Charles Bullard is commemorated on the Barnham Broom War Memorial.

Berlaimont Communal Cemetery Extension, France