Charles Mark Ash

Charles Ash joined the Royal Marine Artillery during the 1890’s and on the 1901 census is on (HMS) Anson off the Dorset coast as a R.M.A. gunner. During the First World War he was promoted to Corporal in the Howitzer Brigade, Royal Marine Artillery and died on 20^th June 1915. He is buried in the Vieille-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture.

Charles Mark Ash was born (June) 1872 in the Eastry District to Esther and William Ash, a farm bailiff. In 1881 the family lived on Woodlands farm, Adisham, Kent but by 1891 they had moved to Hacklinge House, Deal Road, Worth. Charles had several brothers and sisters including William, George, Annie, Ernest Bertran and Mabel. He married in (December) 1904 Mary Walker in W.Ham district. She lived at 27 Harold Road, Southsea. Charles Ash appears on Christchurch war memorial because his brother William Ash was the verger there and probably put his name forward. William, himself came to an untimely end being killed by a tree that he was felling in the grounds of the church yard in 1926 at the age of 56.