Private Charles Carpenter was born in Patrixbourne, Canterbury, Kent, England on April 21st, 1892. (Source: Library & Archives Canada) He was a member of the 123rd Pioneer Batallion. The 123rd Battalion served with front line troops, and also in front of the front line troops, to install barbed wire, improve roads, and establish battlements, fortification and dugouts for the front-line infantry troops to use and occupy. They suffered many casualties. Among their principal roles was to install bridge works and build plank roads to facilitate movement of troops, artillery pieces, and supply columns. More often than not,  the Germans would subsequently shell the roads, requiring immense efforts to get Canadians to and from the front. Many soldiers were wounded or died while serving with the 123rd Battalion (source: Wikipedia).

         One of these unfortunate soldiers was our Private Charles Carpenter. Carpenter served in both France and Belgium, and he suffered serious shrapnel wounds at Vimy RIdge. Carpenter was carried to a field hospital where he spent one night before being transferred to a local General Hospital where he was placed on the “Dangerously Ill List”. He spent two weeks at this hospital, undergoing two separate operations to remove shrapnel . He had three major lacerations to his left leg - 8 inches long, 5 inches long, and 2 inches long, and doctors seem to have had a great deal of difficulty in healing these injuries. 

         After spending another month in a different hospital, Carpenter was discharged to Canada with a long road to recovery ahead of him. In his medical papers it is written that he had seriously damaged calf muscles in his left leg, a great deal of scarring, and complained of terrible headaches and weakness (Source: Library & Archives Canada). I have not been able to find anything about him after his return to Canada, and strangely, I also haven’t been able to find out what his connection is to Churchville that led to him being honoured on the village’s war memorial plaques. The only clues I have been able to find are that on his official Attestation Paper from when he registered to join the 123rd Battalion, the spot for Home Address is typed  as “Brampton”, but then that is crossed out and replaced with #5 Fielding Ave., Toronto; and his name is listed in the Peel War Records.