Charles Thomas Raven in World War I

First World War Soldier Charles Thomas Raven was commemorated by his wife in a lovely tapestry (see photo).

This shows that he served as a private in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (his service numbers being 2590 and 242215) . A photograph of him, taken in Newport on the Isle of Wight, is sewn into the centre of the tapestry, surrounded by his cap badge and his three medals (the Victory medal, the British Medal and the 1914-15 Star medal). He volunteered to join the army and was posted to France on the 6th March 1915. He returned home safely and married Miss Gertrude M. Jackman in 1922 and they had two children.

Born in Long Itchington

Charles was born and baptised in 1889 in Long Itchington, the son of a limestone quarryman, and probably worked as a farm labourer before the war. He died in 1932 (aged 41); the family believe that he suffered from shell shock (which we would now call PTSD).