Amos James Charman

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from John Hamblin, Researcher.

Amos James Charman, Driver T/1817295, 531st Infantry Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps. Killed in action on the 7th of August 1944 aged 26.

Amos James Charman was born at Brills Farm, Edenbridge, Kent on the 1st of June 1918, the eldest son of Amos Charman, a farm carter, and Annie Charman (née Payne) of 44, Pollards Oak Cottages, Limpsfield in Surrey. He worked as a pigman and as a carter. He was married at Manchester in 1944 to Margaret (née Haslem).

On the 18th of June 1944 the 531st Infantry Brigade Company moved to their marshalling areas at Purfleet for embarkation to Normandy. They boarded MTS S127 on the 21st of June and joined their convoy off Southend where they were kept at anchor for four days due to bad weather. They were finally able to land at Juno Beach at 3.30pm on the 27th of June 1944.

By August they were at the village of La Valtrie and on the 7th of August 1944 they were supervising men of the 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment who were returning unused mortar, grenades and signal flare ammunition to a dump near the village in order that it could be re-issued to other units. While this was going on there was a sudden explosion in the dump at which they were unloading which set off other ammunition in the area.

Seven men from the 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment were killed and two of their vehicles were totally destroyed. Eight men from the 531st Company and one man from the 532nd Company were also killed with one man from the 532nd being wounded. Amos Charman was among the dead.

He is buried at Brouay War Cemetery Plot I Row D Grave 9. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Limpsfield.