Prince of Wales Own (West Yorkshire) 10th (Service) Battalion, B Company, Service no. 13035
Killed in action 1st July 1916 First day of the Battle of the Somme, aged 21
Story
Charles was the son of Maskill Armitage and Ada Stathers, of 6 Warrington Row (now the Glencoe Estate), Station Road, Kippax. Maskill was a former soldier himself, and appeared in court on 11th November 1911, in a story which shows the growing tide of anti-German sentiment before the War.
Charles worked as a pony driver at Allerton pit before the war with his friend Harold Varley, also a pony driver. The two friends joined the regiment together on 5th September 1914, alongside Arthur Firth. The three men were connected to the Kippax United Methodist Church.
Prince of Wales Own 10th (Service) Battalion,
The regiment was formed at York on 3rd September 1914 and after various moves was mobilised for war on 14th July 1915, landing at Boulogne and engaged in various actions on the Western Front including in 1915, holding the front lines in southern area of Ypres Salient. Whilst in 1916, records show that the 10th Battalion were part of the 17th Division, attacking Fricourt on the morning of 1st July 1916. Part of the so called ‘Big Push’ At 7:28 am seventeen mines were blown up under the German lines, two minutes later 60,000 British Soldiers laden down with equipment set off from the British lines, they were told ‘walk don’t run’. The Germans were waiting for them with their machine guns and thousands of men were shot down. Later that day, a further 40,000 more men were sent in to add to the casualties. The 10th Battalion lost 22 officers and 750 men. Charles and Harold were two of those soldiers. Charles is buried at Fricourt New Military Cemetery, Grave Ref F.1.
There is one undated photograph of the two men together, which is shown above. With the tent in the background it is likely to be a photo taken in England before the regiment mobilised and moved to France. Harold Varley is on the left Charles Armitage on the right.
Kippax Roll of Honour 
Charles William Armitage was my Great Uncle.
I have always been saddened by his story and had never seen a photo of him.
I was so moved to find these details of him and his friend Harold.
Grateful thanks to this
post.
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