CHARLES NORRISH (SENIOR)
1853 – 1929
Charles was born in St Lawrence, Exeter in 1853, where his father was employed as a “stable man”.
In the 1870’s Charles obtained employment as a footman in Exeter but by 1881 he is believed to have enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery, a regiment he served in for 12 years.
In 1887 Charles married Mary Rosamund Irish in Widecombe and they had a family of nine children, John, Charles (Jnr), George, William, Thomas, Selena, Celia, Susan and Walter.
Following the outbreak of the Great War and the unprecedented need for “Horses for the Army” advertisements were placed in newspapers requiring men experienced with horse to join up. Charles joined up in May 1915 stating his age as 48 when he was 63 years old. Such was the need for experienced men, Charles remained in service with the Army Service Corps Remount Squadrons until his demobilisation in March 1919.
Following his Armed service, Charles found life difficult, and he was eventually removed from the family home and forced to live in the workhouse in Newton Abbot where he died in 1929 aged 76.
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