Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of John Smith, a farm waggoner, born 1857 in Goadby, Leicestershire and his wife Susannah Smith (nee Barfield, married in the 2nd quarter of 1891 in the Billesdon, Leicestershire district), born 1865 in Pentney, Norfolk. Charles James was born on the 10th December 1893 in Tugby, Leicestershire, his siblings were, Mary Elizabeth, born 1896, Arthur, born 1899 and Rose Annie, born 1901, all his siblings were born in Tugby, in March 1901 the family home was at Cottage, Tugby, Leicestershire. In the 3rd quarter of 1906, in the Billesdon, Leicestershire district, Charles’s father died aged 49. In April 1911 Charles was absent from the family home at Old Keythorpe, Tugby, Leicestershire, residing there was his widowed mother and siblings, Arthur, a schoolboy, Rose, a schoolgirl and Edith Lucy, a schoolgirl, born 1906 in Tugby, Charles was employed as a general domestic servant and was residing at his place of work in Tugby, Leicestershire. Charles was educated at Tugby, Leicestershire, and on leaving school became a Police Constable. He enlisted on the 11th June 1915, and served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the 8th January 1916. He died at No. 35 General Hospital at Calais, France on the 12th May 1918 from gas poisoning received in action on the 9th May 1918. Charles was unmarried.