Charles Capewell

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Jacqueline Paxton, niece of Charles Capewell

This is my Uncle Charles Capewell of Sudbury, Derbyshire.

   

He was born in April of 1921, when his father, Charles, was 24, and his mother, Zillah, was 18 years old. He was the oldest of seven children, one brother and five sisters, with my mother being the youngest. He lived and grew up in Sudbury, Derbyshire and went to school in Sudbury and then Derby.  His parents had a tied cottage in the village as they both worked at Sudbury Hall. His father, Charles, was also in the North Staffs Regiment in the First World War.

I think he joined the army in 1939 or maybe before, as I have found a few more photos on Ancestry through my sister.

He was a corporal in the North Staffs Regiment. He survived the landing on D-Day only to die in battle at Caen on the 8th August 1944 aged 23 years. My mother told me that he stepped on a mine and was killed instantly. I am almost certain that this was in Caen as this was something I was told by my mother. He was truly a giant amongst men and he is buried in Bayeux Cemetery.

I think the card (seen below) is one done by the family, as there were a couple in my mum's things after she passed.

I also know that uncle Charles was the only soldier killed in action from the Second World War from the village of Sudbury as his name was the only one added to Sudbury's First World War Memorial placed in All Saints Church.