My name is Charles Lowe and I was born on 19th March 1891 in Hughenden, Buckinghamshire. I was baptised on 17th May 1891 in Hughenden. My parents were William & Mary Ann nee Ing who married on December 19th 1874 in my mother's local Parish Church in Lewknor, Oxfordshire. My family lived at Coombs Farm, Hughenden when I was born and where my father was a farm labourer. I had 5 older siblings.
My father later died and in 1901 my mother, now a widow, along with all the children who were still at home was living at 38, Baker Street, High Wycombe.
By 1911 I was living at 11, Baker Street with my mother who had taken employment as a char woman to make ends meet. Fortunately I was employed as a chair packer for a chair manufacturer.
I enlisted at High Wycombe and served with the 1/8th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. They were fighting in Italy from November 1917 but returned to France in September 1918. Unfortunately I was wounded and I was sent to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Netley, near Southampton suffering from wounds and pneumonia. This was a large Military Hospital used extensively during WW1 and treated over 50,000 patients. This is where I sadly died on the 22nd October 1918. I was twenty seven. I did my best and had 3 years active service in Italy and France before my death.
I was buried in High Wycombe Cemetery on Monday October 28th 1918 with full military honours.
The inscription on my grave reads: “ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS”.
I am buried near my neighbour Henry Bidgood whose parents lived at 7, Baker Street and who died on November 20th 1918 in the Military Hospital at Aylesford while on War Service.
My name is remembered on the High Wycombe Hospital Memorial Plaque.
Researched by Ruth Bowler, Flackwell Local Area History Group
