Charles Gaffney: A Moor mans war
Posted on 10th Nov 2022
While this websites focus has been on Cleator Moor men who died during the war there were many men from the Moor who did their duty and returned home after 1918 to lead full lives contributing to the wider community . One such man was Charlie Gaffney whose relatives still live in the area.
Charles was another local lad who joined 9n 1915 lived at 38 Todholes road and went to St Marys and St Patricks schools .
He was working as a shop assistant st the Local Co-op when enlisted in 1915 into the 5th Battalion Border Regiment and become part of the Pioneer section ,
The Borders were posted to France in time to be involved in the Battle of the Somme He took with him one particular piece of advice “Shells never fall in the same place twice “ So during his early time at the Front he once slept overnight in a shell crater only to wake and find he had been left by his comrades who had moved on that morning !
In late 1916 He returned to the UK in to retrain as a signaller and transferred to the Royal Engineers
Promoted to Lance Corporal Charlie found himself back in France in Early 1918 , which saw the German Spring offensive , during which Charlie was reported as missing in Action .
The family back home feared the worst and had started to wind up his affairs when in May of that year his family were told he had been found was no longer missing , A great relief no doubt
He survived the war returned home in 1919 and took up his previous employment as s hop worker with Cleator Moor Co-op eventually working his way up to Manger of their Bowthorn Store .
He married Mamie Woods in 1930 and had two daughter Nancy and Mamie . Their families still live in the area
Secretary of USDAW union and a Labour councillor on Cumberland CC
