File:Captain Charles John Beech Masefield (6275757921).jpg

1/5 Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment

Acting Captain Masefield worked as a solicitor prior to the outbreak of war in 1914. He was also an author and poet, publishing two volumes of poetry, a volume of prose and a short guide to Staffordshire.

On 14 June 1917, Capt Masefield was awarded the Military Cross for his actions while leading his company during a raid on German trenches at Cité sur Laurent, near Lens. The citation noted that on entering the German trenches, Captain Masefield attacked the enemy and killed two at close quarters. After inflicting further heavy casualties, he successfully withdrew his company.

On 1 July 1917, Captain Masefield was wounded at Lens and died, aged 35, the following day. He is buried at Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez. Photograph presented by his mother, Mrs Masefield of Cheadle, Staffordshire.

Faces of the First World War

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This image is from IWM Collections.

• The Museum released this image on a custom licence - IWM Non-Commercial license. However where the photograph has no known author, these are public domain under the 70 rule and where they were owned by the Ministry of Information, any other government department or agency, taken by a member of the military during their service or by a photographer commissioned by the services, these are now out of copyright restriction.