Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Charles Ward an Agricultural Labourer, born 1851 in Great Easton, Leicestershire and his wife Rosanna, born 1852 in Corby, Northamptonshire. Charles Richard was born in 1879 in Great Easton, Leicestershire, his siblings were Mary Annie, born 1873, John Thomas, born 1877. Walter William, born 1882, Alice Jane, born 1884 and Alfred, born 1886, the latter five siblings were all born in Great Easton, Leicestershire, Elizabeth S., born 1888, Lewis, born 1890 and Frederick, born 1892, the latter three siblings were all born in Horninghold, Leicestershire. In April 1881 the family home was at Brookside, Easton Magna, Leicestershire. In April 1891 Charles was employed as a Farm Boy and was residing with his parents and siblings, John, Walter, Alice, Alfred, Elizabeth and Lewis in the family home at Knob Hill Brick Yard, Uppingham Road, Horninghold, Leicestershire. In March 1901 Charles was employed at the Hall as a Cowman and was residing with his parents and siblings, Alfred, Elizabeth, Lewis and Frederick in the family home at Knob Hill, Horninghold, Leicestershire. In April 1911 Charles was employed as a Domestic Gardener and was residing with his wife Caroline Ward (nee Cox), born 1876 in Swineshead, Lincolnshire, who he married at Oakham, Rutland on the 21st October 1901, together with their children Marshall, born 1904 in Stockerston, Leicestershire, Gladys, born 1906 in Heighington, Lincolnshire and Leslie, born 1909 in Hull, Yorkshire, the family home was at Brooklands Cottage, Cottingham Road, Hull, Yorkshire. His service record provides the following details, he had three children, James Marshall Ward born January 1st 1904, Gladys Ward born July 3rd 1906 and Leslie Ward born December 17th 1909. He was promoted Lance Corporal on the 10th February 1916. He embarked on the 20th April 1917 serving with the 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment. On the 5th May 1917 he was posted to the 1st/4th Battalion of the same Regiment with whom he was killed in action on the 22nd June 1917 and was buried in the Croisilles Road Cemetery No.2., 1¼ miles north of Croisilles. On the 14 January 1918 his widow and three children were awarded a pension of 26 shillings and 3 pence a week, (£1.16). Details of the cemetery in which Charles is buried is as follows, Charles would have been one of the casualties buried inSHAFT TRENCH CEMETERY, as his Battalion was part of the 50th Northumbrian Division. Wancourt was captured on 12 April 1917 after very heavy fighting and the advance was continued on the following days. The cemetery, called at first Cojeul Valley Cemetery, or River Road Cemetery, was opened about ten days later; it was used until October 1918, but was in German hands from March 1918 until 26 August, when the Canadian Corps recaptured Wancourt. At the Armistice, the cemetery contained 410 graves, but was very greatly increased in the following years when graves were brought in from the following small cemeteries and isolated positions on the battlefields south-east of Arras :- ST. MARTIN-CROISILLES ROAD CEMETERY, in the commune of ST. MARTIN-SUR-COJEUL. In this graveyard, about midway on the road, were buried 15 British officers and men who fell on 9 April 1917, or the four following days, and of whom 13 belonged to the 1st East Yorkshire Regiment. SHAFT TRENCH CEMETERY, in the commune of HENINEL, about 1600 metres from that village on the road to Croisilles. Here, in April, May and June 1917, 19 British soldiers were buried by the 50th (Northumbrian) Division. SIGNAL TRENCH CEMETERY, HENINEL. Here, on the far side of the ridge between Wancourt and Cherisy, "in a rather broken part of the British front line", 22 British soldiers were buried in April and May 1917. FONTAINE ROAD CEMETERY, HENINEL. In this graveyard, slightly North of Signal Trench Cemetery, 17 British officers and men (of whom 15 belonged to the 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers) were buried in April 1917. HENINEL-CHERISY ROAD WEST CEMETERY, HENINEL, which was about 800 metres East of Heninel village, contained 25 British graves of April 1917. THE LINCOLNS CEMETERY, ST. MARTIN-SUR-COJEUL, about 800 metres South-East of that village, where 22 non-commissioned officers and men of the 1st Lincolns, who fell on 11 April 1917, were buried. HENIN NORTH CEMETERY, HENIN-SUR-COJEUL, about 800 metres North of the village, contained the graves of 29 British soldiers who fell on 9 April 1917, almost all of whom belonged to the 2nd Wilts or the 18th King's Liverpools. The cemetery now contains 1,936 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 829 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 76 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 20 who were buried in Signal Trench Cemetery whose graves were destroyed in later battles. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.