Charles enlisted at the outbreak of War in the King’s (Liverpool Regiment).  He was assigned service number 2527 and posted to 1/8Bn.  In 1917 he was given a new-style service number, 305704, and at some stage he was promoted to Sergeant and then to Sergeant Major (Company SM rather than Regimental SM as the article states).  In 1915, when they landed in France (3 May), 1/8th (Irish) Battalion came under orders of 154th Brigade in 51st (Highland) Division but on 17 January 1916, the Bn was transferred to 165th Brigade in 55th (West Lancashire) Division.  55th Division’s first real test was during the Battle of the Somme and the assault on the village of Guillemont (4-6 September).  They then fought at Ginchy (9 September), Flers-Courcellette (17-22 September) and Morval (25-28 September).  The Division suffered heavy losses and at the end of the month they received orders to leave the Somme and move to the Ypres salient, where they remained for over a year.  The first half of 1917 in the salient was considered relatively ‘quiet’ though they were still surrounded on three sides and constantly exposed to enemy artillery fire.  13 July 1917 was a fairly typical day.  The Bn was in the trenches at Potijze.  The War Diary records “Work continued as much as possible.  Trenches and back areas heavily shelled with gas shells, which hampered the work in the trenches and also patrol work.  Casualties: 2 killed, 3 wounded, 10 gassed.”  But much worse was to come.

31 July 1917 was the opening day of what would become known as the Third Battle of Ypres, or more infamously, Passchendaele.  That day, 55th Division (including Charles Naylor’s 1/8KLR) had moved from Potijze to Wieltje east of Ypres and they were charged with the capture of a number of objectives north of the village of Frezenberg (Spree Farm, Pond Farm and Schuler Farm, marked on the map below).