Second Lieutenant 180348, 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade. Killed in action in the Western Desert 27 November 1941. Boprn and resident Hertfordshire. No known grave. Commemorated on ALAMEIN MEMORIAL, Egypt. Column 71.

Extract from England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1942:

BUDWORTH Charles Richard Dutton of Langley Hill House Kings Langley Hertfordshire died 27 November 1941 on war service Administration Llandudno 12 August to Helen Budworth widow. Effects £4941 9s. 6d.

Photographs copyright © Charles Moubray 2022

Biography (below) kindly supplied by Charles Moubray

Charles was the son of Major General Charles Edward Dutton and Helen Budworth of Langley Hill House, Kings Langley. Helen was the General’s second wife whom he married in 1918. They had two children: David (born 1920) and Charles (1921). Only Charles attended Lockers Park.

His father was in the Royal Artillery and played a major role on the General Staff during the final years of World War 1. He was then appointed Head of Artillery in India in 1920 and while their first son, David was born in Marylebone, it seems that Helen remained in this country since Charles was born in Langley Hill House on the 4th July 1921. That aside, his father died in India 11 days later on the 15th and is buried in Simla Cemetery

After Lockers, Charles went onto Blucher House at Wellington College where he had a distinguished career – a house prefect, in the XV for his final two years and the Shooting VIII for three and played a senior role as a sergeant in the Corps. After he died, the near-exemplary obituary written about him at Wellington described his all-round abilities, particularly in sport and photography but also, it somewhat wryly mentioned that he was also a “Stalky” from Kipling’s “Stalky & Co” about a group of boarding school boys with somewhat cynical outlooks to patriotism and authority. Charles always wanted to join the army and did so as soon as he left Wellington in 1939, joining the Rifle Brigade. By September 1941, he found himself in North Africa and by November, involved in Operation Crusader, a major campaign fought by the 8th Army. 90% of the allied losses (17,000) were sustained in the first 2 weeks. Sadly, Charles was one of them, being killed in action at Sidi Rezegh, Libya on 27th November. It seems his body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the memorials at both Alamein and on the church memorial at Kings Langley.

Left: Lockers Park Football 1933. Middle: Langley Hill House. Right: Wellington Rugby team, 1939.

Rifleman 5990060, 7th Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles. Died 10th August 1943. Age 21. Son of John William and Violet Mary Harman, of King's Langley. Buried in the new part of KING'S LANGLEY (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD, Hertfordshire.

Sergeant (Pilot) 322445, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Died 22nd October 1943. Age 20. Son of Stanley and Zila May Hayward, of Hunsdon. Buried in the new part of KING'S LANGLEY (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD, Hertfordshire.

322445 SERGEANT
I HAYWARD
PILOT R.A.F.
22nd OCTOBER 1943. AGE 20

Captain, 7th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment. Died 22nd December 1926. Aged 36. Husband of Adelaide Mary Whitelam. Eldest son of Mr & Mrs G C Whitelam, of Hull. His younger brother, 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Whitelam Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding) Regiment was killed in action on the Somme 1916 aged 20 years. Harold died in December 1926, his daughter was born in February 1927. His occupation at this time was as a bank clerk and his cause of death was Acute Tonsillitis and Heart Failure.

IN REMEMBERANCE OF
CAPT. H.C. WHITELAM
EAST YORK REGT.
Who died DEC 22 1926

(rest is unreadable as weathered).