Charles Leese Gittins was born at Penkhull, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, on the 28th June 1896 and was christened at Penkhull on the 13th January 1897.

Born to Alfred Gittins and Emily née Leese, his parents Alfred Gittins, born 1858 in Madeley, Shropshire, and Emily Leese, born 1860 in Penkhull, Staffordshire, married at St Peter's ad Vincula Anglican church,  Stoke on Trent, on August 7th 1883; the wedding banns state Samuel Gittins as Alfred's father and place of residence Selwyn Street, Penkhull, Staffordshire. 

The 1891 census sees Alfred (32), born Madeley, Shropshire, Emily (30), born 1860, Penkhull, Staffordshire, living at 21 East Street, Penkhull, Staffordshire. Alfred is working as a Blacksmith's Striker, and Emily is working as a Potters Burnisher, living with them their son Samuel, aged 5. 

The 1901 census sees Alfred (41) working as a Stationary Engine Driver, Emily (40), Samuel (15), Carter Farmworker, Dorothy (9), Joseph (7), Charles (4), and Ernest ( 2) living at 15 Newcastle Street, Penkhull.  

Tragically, Charles' older brother Samuel Gittins was admitted on 4 Nov 1907 to the county asylum, Cheddleton, Staffordshire. His Death certificate reads: Twenty-first November 1907, The Asylum Cheddleton.  Samuel Gittins, Male, Years 22, Assistant Colliery Fireman, of 15, Newcastle Street, Stoke-on-Trent. Chronic Traumatic Meningitis. Duration Unknown: said to be over 3 years. P.M. certified by Menzies, M.D. W. F. Menzies, Medical Superintendent, County Asylum, Cheddleton. Twenty-fifth November 1907. 

Probate Date 3 Apr 1909

Gittins Samuel of 15 Newcastle-street, Penkhull,  Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire died 21 November 1907 at the County Asylum, Cheddleton, Staffordshire. Probate Lichfield 3 April to Alfred Gittins, Engineman, and Charles Mills Tedstone Postman. Effects £135 4s. Principal Probate Registry; London, England; Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. 

The 1911 census sees Alfred (52) still working as a Stationary Engine Driver, Emily (50) housewife, Dorothy (19) Potters Painter Transferer, Joseph (17) NSR Goods Wagon Invoicer, Charles (14) Potters Turner, Ernest (12 ) at school, Nellie (9) at school, John (7) at school, and Annie (4). The census shows us that Emily and Alfred Gittins had been married for 13 years and had 13 live births, 7 of which were still living and  6 had died. The full list of children is as follows: 

Bertaud was born in 1883 and died aged 4 months in 1884 

Annie died 18 days (no birth  records, death records 1884 ) 

Samuel born 1885 died 1907,  aged 22

Raymond was born in 1887 and died in 1888. 

Dorothy born 1891 

Joseph born 1893 

Alfred Edward (Edwin) 1895 died  1896 

Charles born 1896

Ernest born 1898 

Nellie (1st), born 13 October 1899, died aged 7 weeks in 1899. 

Nellie (2nd) born 1901 

John born 1903 

Annie born 1907 

Tragically, in November 1914, Alfred Gittins, Charles' father, died. His death certificate reads: 26th  November 1914, North Stafford Canal, near Clayton Lane, Trent Vale. Of 15 Newcastle Street, Perkhull, Stoke on Trent,  Stationary Engine Driver

Drowning Suicide whilst of unsound mind.

From Hugh Adam, Certificate received from the coroner for Staffordshire Inquest held 28th November 1914. 

Staffordshire Sentinel 26 November 1914 - PENKHULL MAN FOUND DROWNED.

About 11.30 this Thursday morning, the body was recovered from the canal, near the bridge at Clayton, of Alfred Gittens, of 15, Newcastle-Street, Penkhull. The deceased, who was 56 years of age, was a stationary Engine Driver in the employ of the North Staffordshire Railway Company, and he was last seen alive by his wife on Wednesday night. When she retired, he said he was going to sit up a bit longer, reading, but this (Thursday) morning his son-in-law discovered a letter on the mantelpiece, in which he threatened to take his life. He indicated where his body would be found in the canal. The Police Sergeant Arthur Longmore dragged the spot this morning and recovered the body in a few minutes.

Charles Gittins had joined the army as a territorial soldier on the 11th March 1913 as Private 2139 serving with the 1/5th North Staffordshire Regiment. On the 5th August 1914, he was embodied for full service and would eventually enter France on the Western Front on the 3rd March 1915 with ‘C’ Company 1/5th North Staffordshire Regiment.

He was described as of good physical development, 5’5” tall, 33” chest with 2” expansion, and good vision.

When he first enlisted in 1913, he was aged 17 Years and 8 months with a home address of 15 Newcastle Street, Penkhull, and was working as a Potter's Turner at the Kirkham factory, Stoke-on-Trent.

Having been at the front for only 8 months, he was reported as missing on the 13th October 1915 and subsequently presumed dead.

Charles and his regiment were brought up to the front lines on the 12th October 1915 to take part in what would turn out to be a disastrous assault on the Hohenzollern Redoubt at Loos. On the day Charles died, his regiment lost 71 killed, 232 wounded, and 201 missing. Overall, during the 1-week phase of battle, over 500 men were lost. Of these, approximately 158 were from the potteries, 29 of them from Burslem. 

During his service, there is official correspondence between the County Borough Court of Stoke-on-Trent and the commandant of the North Staffordshire Regiment. On the 26th of July 1915, Charles had appeared at court in person to answer allegations that he had fathered an illegitimate child, born of Sarah Tedstone of 13 Newcastle Street, Penkhull on the 28th February 1915. Charles accepted he was the father and was ordered to pay 4 shillings per month at a rate of 4 pennies per day, as well as £1. 17 shillings for incidental costs and expenses relating to the child and also £1. 15 shillings cost towards bringing the case to court.  

Sarah Tryphena Tedstone was the daughter of Charles Mills Tedstone and Amelia nee Docherty. Charles Mills Tedstone, born in Birmingham, had originally enlisted in the 24th Foot (South Wales Borderers). In 1884, aged 19, he saw service in the India Punjab campaign. He served for over 14 years before being discharged. His wife Amelia was born in Tyrone, Omagh, Ireland, as was their daughter Sarah. In September 1914, Charles Mills Tedstone enlisted in the North Staffordshire Regiment, service number 8951. He was discharged in 1919. His medals are currently in the Staffordshire Regiment Museum DMS, Whittington, Lichfield, and include the India Medal Punjab Frontier 1897-1898, the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, the Defense Medal 1939-45, and the Imperial Service Medal. 

Sadly, on the 2nd June 1916, Dorothy Plant Tedstone, aged 15 months, daughter of Sarah Tedstone and Charles Gittins, died of Tuberculous peritonitis. 

Sentinel Newspaper  9th December 1915 reports Charles Gittins as missing in action, and some 9 months after Charles was reported missing, The Staffordshire Sentinel dated 21st July 1916 reports on the memorial service for Charles Gittins, son of E Gittins, 15 Newcastle Street, Penkhull. It informs us that before military service, Charles was in the employ of Royal Doulton, Burslem. It also informs us that Charles' brother, J Gittens, was also killed serving with the Royal Field Artillery the previous November, and E Gittins had been discharged due to ill health.

Charles is remembered at the Loos Memorial panel 103 - 105, 

For the 1st anniversary of the Loos Battle, 13 October 1916, the Sentinel Newspaper printed a memorial of all the Staffordshire Regiment killed. The Gittins family wrote; 

GITTINS.-In loving memory of Private Charles Leese Gittins, killed in action October 13th, 1915, aged 19 years: "He, like a soldier, fell." Also of Driver. Joseph Gittins, who died in November. 6th, 1915, aged 22 years. "He nobly did his best." Dearly loved by Mother, Brother, and Sisters.

Charles is also remembered on the Kilngate Royal Doulton Memorial, the Royal Doulton Roll of Men Serving in 1914, and with his brother Joseph on the St Thomas The Apostle Church War Memorial, Penkhull. He was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal.

Ernest Alfred Gittins enlisted as a driver in the North Staffordshire Regiment, service number 458, and was medically discharged. Ernest married Amy Olive Bedson in 1920 and died aged 71 in October 1971. Unfortunately, no service records were found to give specific dates. 

Charles' brother Joseph Gittins enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery on 3rd September 1914 at Stoke on Trent, aged 20 years 257 days. He was described as being 5’ 5 3/4 inches tall, weighing 119 lbs, chest measurement 36 with 2-inch expansion, complexion fair,  eyes blue, brown hair, and being of the Church of England religion. 

A medical examination considered him fit for the army. He gave his trade as Porter and was given service number 25438, Rank Driver, 58 Bde. R. F . A. 

Between 3rd September 1914 and 1st February 1915, Joseph was attached to the 5A Reserve Brigade R.F.A based in Altholne, Ireland. 

Between 1st February 1915 and 18th May 1915, Joseph was attached to the 58th Brigade R.F.A., initially moving to Leeds, then to Whitley. 

On 25th April 1915, Joseph was admitted to Netley Hospital and discharged on 4th May 1915. 

On 17th May 1915, Joseph was admitted to Cheddleton Asylum. Originally admitted with a diagnosis of Primary Dementia, the cause was suggested as 1) Insane Hereditary, 2) Army Training, 3) Adolescence. In modern times, his condition may have been diagnosed as schizophrenia. The written history from the asylum notes was based on interviewing both Joseph and his mother, Emily. As medical notes, they are comprehensive, and the documentation of his time there was thorough and paints a picture of the care he received. 

On 18th May 1915, Joseph Gittins was discharged from the army as he had been medically assessed as being permanently unfit for service. His character on discharge was reported as very good. On reading Joseph's asylum medical notes, it was reported that during his Army Training, he had sustained numerous head and chest injuries through falling off his horse.  

Joseph died on 6th November 1915 at Cheddleton Asylum from bronchopneumonia. Aged 22. Joseph's death was very rapid and unexpected. 

From visiting records, we can see his family visited him frequently. His mother Emily visited him once on June 6th, his sister Dorothy visited on July 7th and again on August 4th, his brother Ernest visited on August 18th and September 1st, and his mother's brother Charles, coincidentally, visited on the 13th of October, the day  Charles Gittins went missing, presumed dead. On reading medical notes from the asylum, we can see Joseph made a rapid physical decline in October 1915. 

Sentinel Newspaper 9th December 1915 reports Charles Gittins as missing in action, not killed, so presumably the Gittins family were still waiting for news of Charles when Joseph died. 

By 1915, Emily Gittins had seen her husband and 8 of her children die. Her remaining children, Dorothy, married John Thomas Malkin in 1912, Nellie married Edward Coxon in 1928, John married Annie Archer in 1930, and Annie married Joseph Teece in 1931.

Emily herself died aged 74 in 1935, buried at Hartshill Cemetery, Stoke-on-Trent. 

Joseph was buried at Hartshill Cemetery, Stoke-on-Trent, with his father Alfred, brother Samuel, and his other brother Ernest's baby daughter Olwyn. Currently, the grave is unmarked. 

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the time of his death did not recognise Joseph's service as meeting the criteria for a war grave. Joseph Gittins is remembered on the Stoke on Trent Railway station memorial and with his brother Charles on the St Thomas The Apostle Church War Memorial, Penkhull.

Sources 

Marriage: Indexes created from Anglican Parish Registers held at Staffordshire Record Office; Stafford, Staffordshire, England.

The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2177; Folio: 55; Page: 1; GSU roll: 6097287

1901 census Class: RG13; Piece: 2610; Folio: 98; Page: 32

The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911

Staffordshire County Council; Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England; Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths for the County of Staffordshire; Reference Number: Ci/18/66. 

S Gittins: The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Commissioners in Lunacy, 1845–1913. Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, Series MH 94; Piece: 42

S Gittins death: Staffordshire County Council; Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England; Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths for the County of Staffordshire; Reference Number: Ci/15/68

S Gittins probate: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995

C Gittins christening: Indexes created from Anglican Parish Registers held at Staffordshire Record Office; Stafford, Staffordshire, England &Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008.

C Gittins service record: The National Archives; London, England, UK; War Office: Soldiers' Documents, First World War Wo363

C Gittins pension card: Western Front Association; London, England; WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers; Reference: 029/0166/Gil-Gla

J Gittins service records: The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; War Office: Soldiers' Documents from Pension Claims, First World War (Microfilm Copies and Medical Cards); Reference: WO364; Piece: 1358

J Gittins pension card: Western Front Association; London, England; WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers; Reference: 079/0362/Gil-Gla

E. Gittins pension card: Western Front Association; London, England; WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers; Reference: 079/0362/Gil-Gla

Emily Gittins death: General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 6b; Page: 232

Alfred Gittins' death: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Alfred Gittins: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19141126/048/0003 

C Gittins:https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19151221/084/0004 

C Gittins https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19160721/078/0003

C Gittins https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19161013/030/0002

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1763780/charles-gittins/