Major Charles William Christopher Packe, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)

R J Packe, St J Packe, E C Packe, M O Packe, Charles William Christopher Packe.

Royal Fusiliers Cap Badge

Charles William Christopher Packe was a Major in the Royal Fusiliers attached to the 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment when he was killed in action in Normandy on July 1st 1944 aged 35.

There are now no relatives of Major Packe left in the village. His family used to live at Stretton Hall and Great Glen Hall but he was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on May 2nd 1909. He was the eldest son of Lt.Col.E C Packe,D.S.O., O.B.E.

Royal Military Academy

He was educated at Eton and played cricket in the first XI in 1927. He then went to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers in 1929. He debuted in 1929 for Leicestershire CC but did not play again until 1932. He then played cricket at a high level between 1932 and 1939 and batted both for the Army and for Leicestershire County Cricket Club. He was joint captain of the County in 1932 but his outings were restricted to army leaves.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club

He was a right hand batsman and also bowled right arm medium pace. His County batting average was Played 26, Innings 41, NO 0, Runs 1013, HS 176, Avg 24.7. 100’s 2, 50’s 7, Ct 17. He only bowled 144 balls taking 3 for 75.
He averaged 59.57 for the Army in 1938 and in that year scored 176 against Cambridge University.
He was also the North of England Squash champion in 1932 and was a fine golfer.

Charles was married to Olivia and they lived in Clifford, between Wetherby and Tadcaster, Yorkshire.

Landing Ship Infantry 1944

He was a regular soldier (No.44159) in the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and, as already mentioned, when D Day (6th June 1944) came round he was attached to the 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment. The battalion was loaded on to LSIs during 3rd/4th June (each ship was capable of holding a battalion) preparatory to sailing for Normandy.

The Battalion history carries on as follows:-
5th June – Sailed into the Channel
6th June – Landed on Queen Beach which was their designated landing area of Sword Beach. They were on the extreme eastern flank of the invasion, just west of Ouisterham. At the end of the day they were dug in having suffered 7 killed and 25 wounded. They took 270 prisoners.
7th – 10th June - Paused for re-organisation and re-grouping against an enemy counter-attack

Chateau de la Launde

25th – 26th June – Ordered to capture Epron. This operation is codenamed ‘mitten’ and the Suffolks are to take an enemy position at the Chateau de le Londe.
27th June – Suffolks come under heavy fire and their supporting battalion, the South Lancs, suffer heavy casualties and do not reach their objective. The 1st Suffolks stay the night in cornfields.
28th June - 1st Suffolks attack the Chateau de la Londe and by the end of the day take possession although at a cost of 161 men killed, wounded or missing.
29th June – For a week there are constant enemy shells falling into the area of the chateau and there are daily casualties to the 1st Suffolks. On July 1st Charles Packe is killed.

Charles Packe's Grave

Charles Packe’s grave is in Hermanville Cemetery, Normandy. The stone reads – Major CWC Packe – The Royal Fusiliers – Attached to the Suffolk Regiment – 1st July 1944 Aged 35 – The Lord is my shepherd – Therefore can I lack nothing. – RIP
It has the regimental crest of the Royal Fusiliers engraved on the stone rather than the Suffolk Regiment’s crest. Directions to the Cemetery can be found by clicking on to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission link.

4th From Left

Hillman Strongpoint Memorial

There is a monument in Normandy, the ‘Hillman Strongpoint Memorial’ which has been erected in memory of the men of the 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment who lost their lives in the first few days of the invasion. This, of course, also includes Charles Packe.

Hermanville Cemetery