Charles Eric Wakefield Speller, born on 12th August 1895, was admitted to King Edward’s School in September 1906 as a Foundation Scholar. The family moved around repeatedly during Charles’s teenage years, finally settling at ‘Harley House’, Reddings Road, Moseley. He was one of six children, and they lived with his father, Charles, a lamp merchant, and his step-mother, Marion.
Charles studied in the Modern School, following a primarily scientific, rather than classical, curriculum. He did not excel academically as he progressed through the School, but in his final year his overall position improved as a result of greater success in French and German.
After leaving School, Charles became a student of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, and followed his occupation as an actuary until his death. In 1914, he enlisted as a Lance Corporal with the 11th Hussars, a cavalry regiment of the British Army renowned for its role in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Soon after enlisting, however, on 22nd December of the same year, Charles died in hospital at Aldershot. He is commemorated on the War Memorial in the Faculty Hall of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.