Private 21735 Charles John Parks, 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment was born 1895 at Biddenden, Kent the son of William Parks (1853 to 1901) and Ellen Pannell (1854 to 1901) of Shorts Farm, Biddenden.

The 1901 census finds him with his parents at Springates, Biddenden. William, aged 48 is a farmer born at Tenterden. Ellen, aged 47 was born at Newington, London. Children recorded are Frederick, a “farmer’s son” aged 18, born at Tenterden, and Annie aged 16, Maggie aged 14, Alice aged 12, Arthur aged 9, George aged 7 and Charles aged 5, all born at Biddenden.

By 1911 the family were at Shorts Farm, Biddenden. William is still a farmer and Ellen is assisting in business; the couple have been married for thirty two years and have produced nine children, one of which died in infancy. Children recorded are Arthur aged 19 “farmer’s son working on farm”, George, now a grocer’s apprentice, Charles is working on the farm, Maggie is working in the farm dairy and Alice was a milliner.

Charles enlisted at Canterbury and was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele on the 6th of November 1917.

His Medal Index Card gives little away although it does note his entitlement to the War Medal and the Victory Medal.

He was initially buried close to where he fell but in 1919 his body was exhumed and reinterred on the 9th of April in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium.

He is remembered on the village war memorial and upon the grave of his brother George who died in 1915.

The headstone is barely legible but has the inscription “Someday we will understand”.