Researching Charles Sharpe

Charles Sharpe was a farmer's boy from Pickworth, near Bourne, Lincolnshire, who ran away from home to join the army at the age of sixteen. He had served with the 2nd battalion in the Bermuda Garrison before the war, arriving on the Western Front with that battalion 6 November 1914.

He was an Acting Corporal in the 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, British Army and 26 years old when the following deed took place during the Battle of Aubers Ridge in First World War for which he was awarded the VC.

On 9 May 1915 at Rouges Bancs, France, Corporal Sharpe was in charge of a blocking party sent forward to take a portion of the German trench. He was the first to reach the enemy's position and using bombs with great effect he himself cleared them out of a trench long. By this time all his party had fallen and he was then joined by four other men with whom he attacked the enemy with bombs and captured a further trench long.

He later achieved the rank of Company Sergeant Major. He left the army in 1928.

On return to civilian life, he worked at a number of jobs, notably as a physical training instructor to boys at the Hereward Camp approved school at Bourne. In World War II a number of bombs were dropped on the approved school, a row of wooden huts adjacent to Bourne Woods that may have been mistaken for a military camp; Sharpe was injured.

Born in Codicote, Hertfordshire, England, Sharpe was educated at the former St John's Wood School, London, and Jesus College, Cambridge. He was a right arm slow round arm bowler, who took a remarkable seventy wickets in his nine games, at an average of 14.10, as well as it can be determined as one scorecard, against the Rest of England, is incomplete. His best analysis, of 7 for 43 came against Surrey, and he took five wickets in an innings nine times and ten wickets in a match four times. He scored 129 runs at 14.33, with a best of 29 against Oxford University in the Varsity Match, and he held ten catches. Oddly, his sole appearance for Yorkshire yielded fifteen runs, but no wickets.

He was vicar of Elsecar Parish Church near Barnsley, Yorkshire for a number of years, and also played cricket with notable success for the Elsecar village team. Jim Beachill published the detailed 150 Year History of Elsecar Cricket Club 1854–2004, in which Charles Sharpe is recorded as having played during the period from 1889 to 1895.

Sharpe died in June 1935, in Ilkley, Yorkshire.