Dedicated to the memory of all the men and women of the South Staffordshire area who died during the two World Wars.
Charles Henry Bickley was born at Brewood on 3rd February, 1889. He was the son of Thomas Bickley, a farm waggoner, and his wife Annie. Charles was baptised at Brewood Parish Church on 21st February 1889 at which time the family lived in Hyde Mill Lane. The Bickleys were still living in Brewood in 1891 but, by 1901, they had moved to Crateford and, by 1911, to Four Ashes.
In 1911, the eighteen-year-old Charles was living as a boarder in Mere Lane, Penkridge and working as a waggoner but by the time of his enlistment in the Canadian Army in March 1817 he had emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, and was working as a railway engineer.
Charles served as a Sapper in the 13th Canadian Light Railway Operating Company. He was killed in action in the vicinity of Lievin (on the outskirts of Lens) on 28th March, 1918. He is buried in Barlin Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.
This memorial has mostly been compiled from official sources. It would be good to be able to expand it with more personal material - memories, stories, photos, etc. If you have any suitable material or any corrections please contact Greg.