Charles Henry Malyn – King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, 1st Battalion

Private Charles Henry Malyn – King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, 1^st Battalion

Family Background

Charles Henry Malyn

Charles William Malyn and Sarah Teresa Davies
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church, Swansea

Charles Henry Malyn was born in 1898 in Swansea, the son of Charles William Malyn and Sarah Teresa Davies, who were married in 1895 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Malyn family were living at 6 Pottery Street, Swansea. Charles William, aged 29 and born in Llanelli, was employed as a Hydraulic and Steam Crane Driver, while his wife Sarah Teresa, aged 27, managed the household. Their two children, Hilda May (5) and Charles Henry (3), were also present. The family suffered a significant loss in 1902, when Charles William died at the age of just 30. Sarah later remarried in 1903, becoming the wife of David John Gammon.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the combined Malyn/Gammon family were living at 4 Beaufort Buildings, Mumbles. David Gammon, aged 39, worked as a Fisherman, and Sarah, now 38, was at home caring for their large family. Living with them were Sarah’s children from her first marriage—Hilda May (15) and Charles Henry (13), both attending school—as well as her younger children with David: Lillian (9), Clifford I. (6), Irene M. (5), Iris C. (2), and Albert J. (10 months). Also present was a visitor, Mary T. Davis (74), born in Lancashire.

Military Service and Death

Charles originally enlisted in the Welsh Regiment, 16^th Battalion, before being transferred to the 1^st Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI).

In April 1918, the 1st KSLI was deeply involved in the fierce fighting of the German Spring Offensive (Kaiserschlacht), particularly the phase known as Operation Georgette or the Battle of the Lys, launched on 9^th April 1918. The battalion was rushed forward to reinforce collapsing sectors around Neuve Chapelle, Estaires, Lacouture, and Vieille Chapelle, where they endured overwhelming artillery bombardments followed by repeated German infantry assaults.

In the days preceding 14^th April 1918, the battalion faced rapidly shifting front lines, heavy casualties, and desperate fighting withdrawals as German forces attempted to break through towards Hazebrouck. Much of the fighting took place around the Nieppe Forest, where close-quarter engagements, machine-gun fire, and unrelenting shelling created extremely hazardous conditions. Companies became scattered, and defensive positions were often improvised under fire.

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

Charles Henry Malyn
Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
credit - findagrave

Amid this intense and chaotic fighting on 14^th April 1918, Private Charles Henry Malyn was killed in action. His body was never recovered, likely due to the destructive artillery conditions and rapidly moving front. According to the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, his death was formally recorded, and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, the largest Commonwealth memorial to the missing of the First World War.

When the Commonwealth War Graves Commission compiled its records after the war, Charles’s family were recorded as living at No. 5 Beaufort Buildings, Mumbles, showing they had moved from the address recorded in the 1911 Census.