Service with Destroyers and Submarines.

British War Medal 1914 - 1920.
J.15526 C. S. Hider. A.B. R.N.

Charles Stanley Hider was born on 16th March 1896 in Winchester, Hampshire, and was the son of Randolph Hider, a gardener, and his wife Louisa. Charles had two older siblings, Mabel and Randolph Bernard, but three other children of this marriage had not survived. The 1901 Census records the family as living in the Winchester Brewery cottages but by 1911 they had moved to 67 Brassey Road, Winchester. Fifteen year old Charles is described as a "garden lad", so he was presumably helping his father with his work, while his elder brother was an auctioneer's clerk.

In 1912, Charles joined the Royal Navy as a Boy (2nd Class) and initially served with HMS Impregnable, the Navy's training establishment, and later HMS Donegal and HMS King George V. He was with the latter ship during the initial stages of the Great War and through to April 1915, during which time he was rated ordinary Seaman and then Able Seaman. There followed a couple of months with HMS Excellent, the Royal Naval Gunnery School on Whale Island, Portsmouth, and then in August 1915 Charles joined the newly completed flotilla leader, HMS Kempenfelt, part of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. As part of this formation, HMS Kempenfelt was present at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May - 1st June 1916. A total of 14 British ships were lost at Jutland, including 8 destroyers, but HMS Kempenfelt survived the battle with no damage.

Charles Hider next spent a few months with HMS Vernon, a shore establishment serving as the Royal Navy's Torpedo School, before joining the L class Destroyer HMS Landrail from February to early May 1917. Following this, he was with HMS Dolphin, the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service, before joining HMS Vulcan, a torpedo boat depot ship. For the first four months of 1918, he served with Submarine E.23. The E Class submarines had a complement of 3 officers and 28 men. There is some interesting old footage of E.23 on the Imperial War Museum's website here.

When the war ended, Charles was with HMS Platypus, a submarine depot ship. He was discharged from the service in October 1919 and married Annie Bennett in the same month. His full medal entitlement for service in the Great War was a 1914 - 15 Trio. The 1939 Register lists Charles Stanley Hider as a British Plaster Board warehouse foreman (heavy work) living at 2 Kelvin Road, Wallasey, Cheshire. His death was registered in the first quarter of 1966 in Wallasey.