It is rare to find men named Dennis commemorated on war memorials, as most of them were miners, or in other reserved occupations, so it was a surprise to find one C Dennis on the cenotaph at Fazeley, Staffordshire, near to Tamworth. So who was he? Was he related to me?
On the north face (left in the image above) is a list of names of men killed during World War II, among them C Dennis.
In The Polesworth Miner I tried to uncover the life story of George Dennis, sometime resident of Birchmoor, near Polesworth, just a short distance from Fazeley. I wondered if there was a connection.
Having only the name C Dennis to go on would not make life easy, but via Findmypast, I found a news article:
Tamworth Herald Saturday 6 June 1942 p2 col5
DENNIS — On May 27, at 38 Mill Lane, Fazeley, to Mrs G Dennis (nee Gladys Taylor), and Pte. C Dennis, God’s gift of a daughter, Patricia May — Nurse Statham.
Using Ancestry and the Tamworth Herald (21 Oct 1939), I was then able to trace the marriage of Gladys May Taylor to Charles Moseley Dennis, of Two Gates, on 14 October 1939, at St Paul’s, Fazeley.
The 1939 register records both. Charles was at 496 Watling Street, Two Gates. He was a general brickworks labourer, born 18 Jan 1919.
Another search on Ancestry led to a family tree for Charles. I have not checked all of the entries, but it looks fairly rigorous, and indicates that Charles’ line and mine go back to common ancestors, Henry Dennis and Sarah Burn, my fifth great grandparents, who lived in the early to middle eighteenth century. So not very close at all.
I have not found out much about Charles’ activities in the Army, but in the UK Army Roll of Honour, he was Private 5113991 C M Dennis, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment, infantry. He died on 12 May 1944, in Italy.
According to Find A Grave, he is commemorated at Cassino War Cemetery, Italy. The Battle of Monte Cassino raged with notorious ferocity and bloodshed, from 17 January to 18 May 1944, as the allies attempted to wrest desperate German troops from the mountain-top stronghold.
Charles Moseley Dennis, RIP, cousin.
Andrew's Kindred 
Having been to Monte Cassino and the Cemetery a few Years ago, I must have been very close to where is last resting place ,there are so many Names of different Regiments in there ,some Forces from the Commonwealth, it would take time to find a certain Name.
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