Charles “Charley” Luttman: Railway Constable and Anti-Aircraft Gunner

Charles Luttman, known as Charley, was a British railway worker and artilleryman who died on October 29, 1918, shortly before the Armistice. He served with “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery and is remembered as a good soldier and sportsman. Charley left behind his wife Elizabeth and their son Ernest.

Charles Luttman, known as Charley, was a railway worker, police constable and artilleryman whose life ended in France on 29 October 1918, just thirteen days before the Armistice. A bombardier serving with “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, he died of wounds, leaving his wife Elizabeth and their young son Ernest. His battery commander remembered him as “a right good soldier and sportsman”. [1][2]

Early Life and Family

Charles was born on 9 January 1886 at Marston Sicca, his birth being registered in the Stratford-on-Avon district. His baptism took place on 7 February, when the parish register entered him as “Charlie Lutman”, son of George and Maria. George was then a labourer, and the family lived in Marston Sicca. The baptism transcription describes the parish as being in Gloucestershire, whereas later records give Charles’s birthplace as Marston, Warwickshire. [1]

His mother was Maria Pattenden. By April 1891, Charles was living with the family in Westerham, Kent, Maria’s birthplace; in March 1901 he was recorded in Kidbrooke. The family’s movements subsequently brought them to Well Hall, Eltham, where the 1911 census provides a fuller picture of their household. [1]

At twenty-five, Charles lived with his parents at 132 Grangehill Road and worked as a railway platelayer. George was now a gardener. Also present were Charles’s younger brother William, a farm carman, his sister Maud, and a boarder, George Law, who worked as a railway porter. Charles’s recorded employment thus placed him within the railway world before his later appointment as a constable. [1]

Railway Police and Marriage

By April 1914, Charles was a constable living in Hatcham. The British Transport Police History Group identifies his force as the South East and Chatham Railway Police, while his local obituary states that he worked at Cannon Street Station in London. These sources distinguish his railway-police employment from service in a municipal police force. [1][3]

On 14 April 1914 he married Elizabeth Annie Pattenden at St Mary the Virgin, Westerham. The marriage-register transcription describes Charles as a twenty-eight-year-old bachelor and Elizabeth as a twenty-six-year-old spinster. William Henry Clayson and Alice Mary Pattenden witnessed the ceremony, conducted by S. Lemesurier. Although a separate military-record summary gives a November date, the detailed parish-register transcription supports 14 April. [1]

Their son, Ernest Charles, was born at Penshurst on 10 March 1915. During the war, Elizabeth’s address was French Street, Westerham. Charles’s family life was therefore established only shortly before the outbreak of war, and Ernest was three when his father died. [1]

Regular Army Service and Mobilisation

The service summaries in the family report place Charles’s original enlistment at Woolwich on 20 February 1905, when he joined the Royal Horse Artillery as a gunner. They record service in India between March 1907 and December 1909, followed by a return home and transfer to the Army Reserve in February 1911. This outline explains how he could have military experience before appearing in civilian railway employment in the 1911 census. [1]

Those summaries require some caution: the stated enlistment age does not agree with his baptismal birth date, and other transcribed details are inconsistent. Nevertheless, they describe recall at Woolwich on 5 August 1914 and later service as a bombardier. His medal-index information securely connects the numbers 36080 and 191736 with service in the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery respectively. [1]

The report’s military history places him in France from August 1914, whereas the Westerham Herald simply stated that he had been there for over two years. His precise overseas chronology should therefore be checked against the original service papers before assigning particular early-war actions. The recorded transfer to the Royal Garrison Artillery took place on 13 December 1917. [1]

“Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery

Charles’s final unit was “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, independently identified in both the Bexley Borough Roll of Honour and the railway-police roll. His work belonged to the developing air-defence arm of the artillery, rather than to the heavy siege batteries more commonly associated with the RGA. [2][4][5]

The Long, Long Trail lists “Y” Battery under First Army, comprising the 7th, 49th, 79th, 133rd, 156th and 162nd Anti-Aircraft Sections, each equipped with two 13-pounder anti-aircraft guns. This organisation is important: a battery could control several dispersed sections rather than operate all its guns together at one position. The compiler cautions that the list remains a work in progress. [5]

The family report describes a September 1918 posting to the “7th Anti-Aircraft Battery”. Because the published organisation places 7th Anti-Aircraft Section within “Y” Battery, the entry may refer to that section, but the original posting document is needed to resolve the terminology. It should not be treated as proof of a separate final battery. [1][5]

At the time of his death, Charles therefore served in an organisation equipped to engage hostile aircraft. Its guns formed part of First Army’s air defences during the closing campaign of 1918. The available sources do not establish his section’s exact position, the particular installation it protected, or its firing activity when he was wounded. [1][5]

“He was a right good soldier and sportsman … we all miss him sorely.”

His battery commander, quoted in the Westerham Herald, 16 November 1918.

Wounding and Death

The most personal account appeared in the Westerham Herald on 16 November 1918. Elizabeth had received a letter from the sister-in-charge at a clearing station in France, informing her that Charles had died from wounds on 29 October. His major explained that he had been wounded together with three other men and his section officer. [1]

The major added that Charles had been in his battery only a short time, but that his worth had already been recognised. This supports the picture of a recent posting given in the service summary. Neither account identifies the weapon responsible, the date of the wounding or the precise location, so these details remain unknown. [1]

The family report identifies the treatment unit as 30th Casualty Clearing Station. Published movements place that station at Escaudoeuvres, near Cambrai, from 23 October 1918, providing a credible French location for his final treatment. Charles was thirty-two when he died. [1][6]

A separate soldiers’ effects summary in the report gives incompatible numbers and a death in Dover on 10 October. That entry cannot safely be used for his biography or estate figures without re-examining the original ledger. His death on 29 October is supported by the contemporary newspaper, service and pension summaries, and independent rolls of honour. [1][2][4]

Burial and Commemoration

Charles rests in Ramillies British Cemetery, France, in grave D. 26. The cemetery lies about three kilometres north-east of Cambrai. Its present burials include graves brought in after the Armistice, so his current grave reference alone does not establish his original burial location. [1][7]

The Bexley Borough Roll of Honour links him with 3 Holly Park Cottages, Corbylands Road, Sidcup, and records commemoration on Sidcup War Memorial and the Holy Trinity Church, Lamorbey, memorial panels. These references extend the geographical record beyond Eltham and Westerham. [4]

His railway service is remembered on the South East and Chatham Railway Memorial at Victoria Station’s eastern, or Kent, concourse. The British Transport Police History Group notes that the memorial incorrectly places him in the “Coaching Department”, rather than identifying him as a railway policeman. [3]

Legacy and Descendants

Elizabeth’s pension case records a £5 grant approved on 4 December 1918 and further administrative work during 1919. His medal-index summary confirms entitlement to the British War Medal and Victory Medal. These documents preserve the official aftermath of the death of a husband and father, alongside the warmer testimony of his commander. [1]

Charles’s family legacy continued through Ernest Charles. His surviving story brings together railway labour, railway policing and artillery service, but its strongest personal testimony remains the major’s recognition of his character. Remembered as a sportsman as well as a soldier, Charley was mourned by comrades who had known him only briefly and by the family whose future he did not live to share. [1]

Sources and Further Reading

Sources
[1] Individual-Report-for-Charles-Charley-Luttman.pdf https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/141549598/1fd1ea24-70bd-4c9b-8fa6-da2117ed7bec/Individual-Report-for-Charles-Charley-Luttman.pdf
[2] [PDF] BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE HISTORY GROUP ROLL OF … https://www.btphg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BTPHG-RoH-UpdatedMay-2020.pdf
[3] [PDF] british transport police history group roll of honour railway, dock … http://www.btphg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BTPHG-WW1-RoH-Bio-Info-Jan-2014-RS-R.pdf
[4] Bexley Borough WW1 Roll of Honour https://www.bexley.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-10/Bexley-Borough-WW1-Roll-of-Honour.pdf
[5] Anti-Aircraft Batteries and Sections in France 1914-1918 – The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/anti-aircraft-sections/
[6] Locations of British Casualty Clearing Stations https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/locations-of-british-casualty-clearing-stations/
[7] Ramillies British Cemetery (CWGC) – Remembering the Fallen https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ramillies-british-cemetery.html
[8] ARTILLERY IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR – Jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/44233172
[9] Life story: Frederick William Charles Adams | Lives of the First World … https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/633875
[10] All things Royal Garrison Artillery (R.G.A) – Great War Forum https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/289774-all-things-royal-garrison-artillery-rga/
[11] Honoring Fallen Heroes of 1918 | PDF | Corporal | Regiment – Scribd https://www.scribd.com/document/391732704/Today-s-Fallen-Heroes-Tuesday-29-October-1918-1370
[12] Railway Police Officers Killed in Action http://www.btphg.org.uk/Images/2013/11/WW1-RoH-amendMay-2013.pdf
[13] Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery – Greg’s War https://gregswar.com/setting-scene-background-articles/siege-batteries-of-the-royal-garrison-artillery/
[14] “Y” Battery Royal Garrison Artillery – Soldiers and their units – The … https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/88654-y-battery-royal-garrison-artillery/
[15] Royal Garrison Artillery – Salonika Campaign Society https://salonikacampaignsociety.org.uk/bsf/army-headquarters/royal-garrison-artillery/
[16] 영국 원정군 – 나무위키 https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%98%81%EA%B5%AD%20%EC%9B%90%EC%A0%95%EA%B5%B0
[17] THOMAS ROBERT CARLIELL – Ipswich War Memorial https://www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/thomas-robert-carliell/
[18] 1331 died on this day: Tue 29/10/1918 – First World War https://firstworldwaronthisday.blogspot.com/2018/10/1331-died-on-this-day-tue-29101918.html
[19] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission | CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/ExportCasualtySearch/?Cemetery=RAMILLIES+BRITISH+CEMETERY&Page=1&Tab=close
[20] Personnel records of the First World War – Canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/military-history/first-world-war/fww-personnel.html
[21] Community: Westerham Memorial St. Mary’s Church | Lives of … https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/community/557
[22] CWGC Cemetery: RAMILLIES BRITISH CEMETERY | Craven’s … – CPGW https://cpgw.org.uk/cwgc-cemeteries/ramillies-british-cemetery/
[23] Lives of the First World War https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2730151
[24] Tracking a unit of the Royal Field Artillery https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/tracking-a-unit-of-the-royal-field-artillery/
[25] Charles Luttman (1886-1918) – Find a Grave Memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176562840/charles-luttman
[26] Find a Grave – Millions of Cemetery Records https://www.findagrave.com/
[27] Ramillies British Cemetery, Nord, France – WW1 LIVES https://ww1lives.com/ramillies-british-cemetery-nord-france/
[28] Search Various Roll of Honour for 1914 to 1918 – Forces War … https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/publication/1409/uk-rolls-of-honour-1914-1920
[29] Bombardier C Luttman Royal Garrison Artillery. Died Tuesday … https://astreetnearyou.org/person/529640/Bombardier-C-Luttman

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