20th Canadian Infantry, 11 October 1918
Synopsis of Life and Military Service
Early Life
Lieutenant Charles Innes Giles was born on 8 May 1888 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of William Giles, a banker of Udny, and his wife Alexandrina. He spent his early years in Aberdeen, where he was educated at Ashley Road Primary School before attending Ferryhill School from February 1899. In September 1900, he entered Aberdeen Grammar School, where he followed a business-oriented curriculum, leaving in June 1903 at the age of fifteen.
In 1907, Giles emigrated to Canada, part of a broader pattern of Scottish migration in the early twentieth century. Settling in Ontario, he initially worked as a farmer or fruit grower, including a period in the Grimsby area. Prior to enlistment, he was employed as an accountant with the Home Bank of Canada in Toronto. By this time, he had become a Canadian citizen and was living with his widowed mother at 68 Wroxeter Avenue in Toronto’s Riverdale district.
Enlistment
Giles enlisted for active service in the Canadian Infantry on 5 March 1915. Described at enlistment as 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a medium complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair, he was declared medically fit, bearing only a scar on his right knee. He proceeded to England in May 1915 and, by September of that year, was serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders. During his military service, Giles distinguished himself for bravery and dedication. He was wounded on multiple occasions—twice prior to his final engagement—and earned the Military Medal for gallantry in the field, notably for repairing telephone wires under heavy enemy fire. His leadership abilities were recognized with a commission, and he was gazetted
as a lieutenant in April 1918.
The history of the battalion records that:
The telephone wires were cut so incessantly that runners were the only method of communication available, but mention should be made of the efforts of Corporal C. Giles, who remained single handed under fire in a shell hole for some 48 hours endeavouring to keep the wires connected up. In course of the enemy’s bombardment a machine-gun was put out of action by a direct hit and every one of its crew killed.
The History of the Twentieth Canadian Battalion (Central Ontario Regiment) Canadian Expeditionary Force (Toronto, 1935),p.292
Contemporary accounts attest both to his courage and to the esteem in which he was held. A fellow officer later recalled the deep sense of loss felt by his comrades, describing him as a valued and cheerful presence whose absence could scarcely be compensated even by victory. His commanding officer similarly praised him as “one of my most trusted officers,” noting that he died while leading his men in one of the most fiercely contested actions of the war.
Death and Memorial
On 11 October 1918, at the Battle of Iwuy (notable for the last Canadian cavalry charge and the only engagement of Canadian troops with German tanks during the First World War), near Cambrai, France, Giles was mortally wounded by machine-gun fire to the stomach while engaged in frontline action. He was taken to a battalion dressing station but succumbed to his wounds almost immediately. He was thirty years old.
A description of the Iwuy Engagement on 11th October 1918 can be found in the book commemorating the history of the battalion. At the very commencement of the attack, at 9 a.m., the enemy’s shell-fire began most effectively and kept shortening as the advance continued. For the first time the Battalion was making an attack without visible artillery support. Besides the enemy’s shells the troops soon had to contend with the fire of machine-guns concealed in Iwuy. As the Battalion moved up the northern slope the men became visible targets and the intense enfilade fire caused many casualties. Captain George Marr, commanding “D” Company, while doing sterling work in support of “B” Company, was badly hit and Lieutenant C. I. Giles was mortally wounded.
The History of the Twentieth Canadian Battalion (Central Ontario Regiment) Canadian Expeditionary Force (Toronto, 1935),
p.261
Giles was buried in Ramillies British Cemetery near Département du Nord,
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. His death came just one month before the Armistice. In recognition of his service, a war gratuity was paid to his mother, who survived him.
His story reflects the experience of many young men of his generation: educated in Britain, emigrating to Canada in search of opportunity, and ultimately serving in the First World War with distinction and sacrifice. Remembered by his superiors and comrades alike for his courage, leadership, and character, Lieutenant Charles Innes Giles stands as one of the many whose lives were cut short in the final months of the conflict.
Family
Charles Innes Giles was born on 8 May 1888 in Aberdeen. The following family information is taken from the 1891 and 1901 Census.
The following family information has been ascertained :-
- Father: William Giles, born c.1847 at Strichen, Aberdeenshire.
- Mother: Alexandrina Ogg or Giles, born c.1851 at Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire.
- Brother: William, born c.1882 at Aberdeenshire.
- Brother: George M., born c.1883 at Aberdeenshire.
- Brother: Alexander O., born c.1886 at Aberdeenshire.
- Brother: James S., born c.1890 at Aberdeenshire.
Addresses
Records show that Charles lived at the following addresses :-
- 1891: Town & County Bank House, Foveran, Aberdeenshire. (Census)
- 1894: 74 Stanley Street, Aberdeen. (School Register)
- 1900: 6 Argyll Place, Aberdeen. (School Register)
- 1915: 8 Garnock Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Attestation Paper)
- 1918: 68 Wroxeter Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Service Record)
Medals
Charles Giles was awarded the Military Medal, the 1914-15 Star, Victory and the British War Medals for his service in the Great War.
Memorials
Charles Innes Giles is honoured and remembered on the following memorials :-
- St John’s Presbyterian Church War Memorial, Broadview Avenue, Toronto, Canada.
- Personal Plaque, St John’s Presbyterian Church, Broadview Avenue, Toronto, Canada.
- Udny Green War Memorial, Memorial Garden, Parish Church, The Square, Udny Green, Gordon, Grampian.
- Aberdeen Roll of Honour, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, Aberdeen.
Links to Additional Information
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Charles Innes Giles.
- Find a Grave: Charles Innes Giles.
- A Street Near You: Charles Innes Giles.
- Lives of the First World War: Charles Innis (sic) Giles.
References
- References
- Ancestry (family records and military documentation)
- Veterans Affairs Canada (veterans.gc.ca)
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (cwgc.org)
- Toronto Star, 6 February 1917
- Toronto Telegram, February 1917
- Find A Grave (memorial and gravestone records)
- Aberdeenshire School Admission Registers
- Ashley Road Primary School records
- Aberdeen Grammar School records
- Canada War Graves Registers
- De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour
- www.communitystories.ca
- The History of the Twentieth Canadian Battalion (Central Ontario Regiment)
- Canadian Expeditionary Force (Toronto, 1935)
Groups
Contributors:-
- Glen Wilson (Main Article)
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