William Charles Neate Davies was born on 9th March 1892 at Walton near Warrington. He was the son of William Parker Davies and Fanny Elizabeth Davies (nee Neate). Sadly, his father died in 1897 and Charles was brought up on Moss Brow in Moore by his widowed mother, who worked as a seamstress and charwoman. He had a brother Sydney and two sisters, Mary and Annie Elizabeth.
The family moved to Factory Yard in Hatton in the first decade of the 20th century and when he left school Charles took employment as a groom.
Charles served in both world wars. He was a Sergeant in the Rifle Brigade in the Great War and was wounded on the Somme but returned to the Front after convalescence at home. He served until 1919 (see WW1 section for more details).
Having returned home, he married local girl Bertha Partington in 1919 and settled to living in Factory Yard. Their daughters Beatrice May and Annie Elizabeth were born in 1920 and 1921. Charles worked on the Walton Hall estate between the two wars, at Wilkinson’s builders’ workshops on Park Lane in Walton.
By the start of World War Two he was in his late forties but his experience in the Great War meant that he was called upon to serve his country again, albeit not abroad. Charles was attached to Western Command at Chester and at the John Summers Steelworks at Shotton in Flintshire. He was with the 30th Field battery of the Royal Army Service Corps in 1943-44 and also saw service with the Home Guard.
Charles was interested in country pursuits and gardening, the latter for which he won prizes at Hatton Show, which was held at Hatton Hall (Farm). He entered his whole garden on several occasions and won the J. J. Whitley Cup.
Charles Davies died on 25th October 1970, a year after his wife Bertha passed away. He was 78 years of age.