Charles Meech – Machine Gun Corps, 1st Depot Company

Private Charles Meech – Machine Gun Corps, 1^st Depot Company

Family Background

Charles Meech, born in 1898 in Bayford, Hertfordshire, was the son of Herbert Meech and Charlotte Huckle, who married in 1880 in Hertford, Hertfordshire.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Meech family were living at 5 Paradise Row, Brickendon, Hertfordshire. Herbert, aged 42 and born in Dorset, worked as a Head Gamekeeper, while his wife Charlotte, aged 41, kept the home. Their children were Joseph H. (17), employed as a carter on a farm; John (13), working as a page boy domestic; Benjamin (11); Daisy (9); May (7); Ivy (5); Charles E. (3); and William (1).

1911 Census

In December 1910, Charlotte died, leaving Herbert a widower. By the 1911 Census, Herbert, now 51, remained at 5 Paradise Row, working as a Woodman on an Estate. Three of his children were still living at home: Benjamin, aged 21 and employed as a domestic gardener; Daisy, aged 19 and working as a general domestic servant; and Charles, aged 13, who was attending school.

Military Service

At the outbreak of the First World War, Charles enlisted at Swansea. He originally joined the Welsh Regiment, before later transferring to the Machine Gun Corps, where he served with the 1^st Depot Company.

Machine Gun Corps, 1^st Depot Company in 1918

By October 1918, the 1st Depot Company formed part of the Machine Gun Corps training and reinforcement system based at the Camiers–Étapes area near Étaples, France. This large base depot was responsible for training new MGC recruits, providing reinforcements for front-line machine-gun battalions, conducting administrative and support work, and housing soldiers awaiting posting or recovering from illness. Étaples also contained one of the largest medical complexes on the Western Front, with numerous general and stationary hospitals. In late 1918, these hospitals and depot camps were severely affected by the second wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which caused high mortality from pneumonia among soldiers stationed behind the lines.

Death and Commemoration

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

According to the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, Private Charles Meech died on 18^th October 1918 from pneumonia, almost certainly connected to the influenza outbreak at Étaples. He is buried at Étaples Military Cemetery, France, a major burial ground for soldiers who died in the nearby hospitals during the final months of the war.