Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of James Shepperd Charlton a land surveyor and estate clerk, born 1865 in Kirkham, Lancashire, and his wife Elizabeth Charlton (nee Hall, married on the 5th September 1894 in Weeton, Lancashire), born 1867 in Marton, Lancashire, and who was the daughter of Richard and Jenny Hall. Robert was born in 1896 in Aldbrough, Yorkshire, he had one sibling, a brother Richard Hall Charlton, born 1899 in Aldbrough, in March 1901 the family home was at the Stanwick Arms Inn, Aldbrough. In April 1911 Robert was a schoolboy and was residing in the family home at Burley on the Hill, Rutland, together with his father, now an estate clerk, his mother and brother Richard. Robert was educated at Oakham School between 1907 and 1912, and was then articled to Messrs. Moore and Morrel, Chartered Accountants, of Nottingham. He enlisted in the Nottingham City Battalion and was immediately drafted to the 3rd Battalion Sherwood Foresters and trained at Crown Hill, Barracks, Plymouth, Devon. He was one of thirty volunteers who were sent to France as reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters in January 1915. He met his death later that year near Hooge, Belgium. The cause being the explosion of a bomb, whilst in the process of clearing Germans from a communication trench. He was buried in Sanctuary Wood. He was the first member of the Nottingham Chartered Accountants Students Society to be killed in action.
The War Diary records: 9 Aug-15 - SANCTUARY WOOD – HOOGE. At 1.45am the Battalion was clear of MAPLE COPSE and by 2.30am was in position in SANCTUARY WOOD as follows. 2 Companies in G.1. and B.8., 1 Company in trench originally occupied by DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY as their fire trench, ½ Company in DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY original support trench and ½ Company told off as wiring and carrying parties, distributed at 3 dumps at South ends of G.1., S.1. and S.2. under charge of 2nd Lieutenant RIDLEY. Our orders were to closely support the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY in the frontal assault especially providing for the protection of their right flank by occupying and holding G.1., G.2. and G.3. up to and including the MENIN ROAD. Also to open up and improve communications by S.1. and S.2. At 2.45 our guns commenced their bombardment and 5 minutes afterwards the German guns commenced to retaliate, shells dropping in and around DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY’S original front trench, G.1. and B.8. At 3.10am the Battalion started to advance. “B” and “D” Companies under Captain’s CHATTERIS and TOWERS respectively proceeded up G.1. and G.2. headed by a strong bombing party under Lieutenant GLEANE. The first opposition was met about 50 yards East of the junction of G.1. and G.2. which was quickly overcome by our bombers. At the same time 2 platoons of “A” Company pushed up S.2. and S.1. but the latter was found to be practically useless as a communication trench, in affording very little cover and being half full of water and dead men. By this time the Germans were shelling the trenches very heavily and their fire was wonderfully accurate. At 3.45am a report came in that the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY had captured the trenches they were to take and shortly “B” Company reported that they had gained touch with DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY’S right. By this time the rest of “C” Company was well up G.1. so 3 platoons of the support Company “D” under Lieutenant ROBERTS were sent up G.1. to fill the gap between “C” Company and the 8th SHERWOOD FORESTERS. A machine gun was sent to establish itself at the junction of G.1. and G.2. one being already in position in the sap and 2 in reserve. By 5.00am the German guns had fully opened and the trenches our men were in especially G.3. and G.2. were getting blown in everywhere cutting communications between “B” and “C” Companies. Rifles and machine guns from Fort 13 fired across the gaps made by the German guns and made it almost impossible to cross them. At 5.30am “A” Company had had to reinforce the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY and some of that Company had established themselves in G.6. Officers casualties in G.3. were heavy at this time and as the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY had also lost a great many one subaltern from “B” Company Lieutenant TAYLOR was sent to assist them at the crater. The whole day the Germans poured a hail of shells into G.6. G.3 - 2. -1. and S.2. and the way all ranks went through this trying ordeal is worthy of the greatest admiration. By 12.00 noon the trenches were only held in isolated groups where they had not been blown in, and communication was very difficult. “D” and “C” Companies were ordered to hold all trenches as lightly as possible to avoid shell casualties but G.2. and G.3. and most of G.6. appeared to have been completely flattened out. At 3.00pm it was found impossible to send reinforcements up by way of G.2. and as the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY had already reported S.2. impossible it was decided not to send any more men forward and to only hold G.1. lightly. At 4.00pm G.1. was found to be rather crowded so 2 platoons were sent to hold the DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY’S original fire trench with 2 platoons of the QUEEN’S WESTMINSTER RIFLES, and G.1. was organised for defence from a point 50 yards North of the sap with a machine gun in the sap which could enfilade front of G.1. The Germans made no attempt to counter attack us and after dark about 30 men and Captain CROSBY rejoined the Battalion from G.6. and G.3. these were the only survivors of the original garrison. A patrol of the QUEEN’S WESTMINSTER RIFLES reported no signs of the Germans in G.3. but said that all the trenches were flattened out. The Battalion was relieved at 9.30pm by the QUEEN’S WESTMINSTER RIFLES and we proceeded to dugouts in the YPRES ramparts. The following were the casualties. Killed Lieutenant’s T. B. CHATTERIS, G. P. WALSH, 2nd Lieutenant’s W. H. COAKE, H. RIDLEY, G.A. KAY, M. V. MOLLOY. Missing believed killed, Lieutenant’s G. M. HOYLE, J. W. C. TAYLOR. Wounded Captain E. R. STREET, Lieutenant’s G.M. GLEANE, 2nd Lieutenant’s R. PALMER, M. L. BENFORD, H. CARTER, J. E. WRIGHT. Other ranks. Killed 15, wounded 202, missing believed killed 120.
On Friday August 20th 1915 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. “DISTRICT WAR ITEMS.” – BURLEY SOLDIER KILLED. – Private Robert Charlton, who was an articled Clerk to Mr. Geo. M. Moore, chartered accountant, of Nottingham, was killed in France a few days ago by the explosion of a bomb, whilst driving the Germans out of a communicating trench. Pte. Charlton, No. 17584, who was in his 20th year, was the elder son of Mr. James S. Charlton, of Burley on the Hill, near Oakham. He enlisted in the Nottingham City Battalion in September, and was immediately drafted to the 3rd Sherwood Foresters, and trained at Crown Hill Barracks, Plymouth. He was one of 30 volunteers who were sent out to France as a reinforcement to the 2nd Sherwood Foresters at the beginning of February, and has been at the front ever since. Private Charlton is the first member of the Chartered Students’ Society to be killed in action.