Enlisted at London on the 15th of June 1838.

No other enlistment details are shown.

From Private to Corporal 13th of June 1839:

“Absent without leave, whilst ”On Command” in London, 8-9th September 1839, confined 10-14th., and reduced to Pte on the 15th of September.

From Private to Corporal 9th of June 1845.

Corporal to Sergeant 16th of October 1847.

On the 29th of December 1850 he married Mary Anne, the daughter of James Campbell, a sea-captain, of Glasgow, and his wife, Jemima, at Belfast. He was shown as being "of full age" and she as 21 years old. On the 9th of January 1853 a son, James, was born at Hounslow and baptised at Fulford on the 30 January 1854 by the Reverend Joseph Sutton. Charles Foster was then stationed at Fulford Barracks, and at the end of 1855 his wife and son were living at No. 1 Court Street, Old Lodge Road, Belfast.)

Appointed to Orderly Room Clerk (as Sergeant) on the 26th of October 1852. Appointed to Troop Sergeant Major. 26th of October 1854.

Promoted to Quarter-Master on the 5th of January 1855.

A Crimean medal with impressed naming to "Qr. Mr. Charles M. Foster. 13th Lt. Dragoons.", with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman, was sold at a Sotheby's auction on the 15th of May 1925 and later known to be in an American collection (See photograph of this medal, with other medals from the collection, in the 8th Hussar file.)

EJB: An anomaly exists in the rank naming of this medal in that he is shown as a Troop Sergeant Major on the Alma/Inkerman clasp roll (which has the letters W.O. in the "Remarks" column) that for Balaclava as Troop Sergeant Major, and "Appointed Qr. Mr. 5th Jany." in the "Remarks" column (as well as his date of death) and for Sebastopol his rank is shown as Qr. Mr. and "Dead." The medal would not have been sent to his next-of-kin until some time after the end of the campaign, and one or other of the rolls would most likely have been used as the basis for naming this medal as an officer, something which he was not at the actual time of the award of the battle clasps shown.

Foster’s Crimean medal was known to be in an English collection in 1989 and appeared again in an American dealer's list in 1992. Then said to be named to "Qr. Master Chas. M. Foster. 13th Lt Dragns." and with the clasps for A.B. and I. This medal, named as before, with officially impressed naming, appeared in a Buckland, Dix and Wood auction, on the 20th of October 1993. Later in the stock of a London medal dealer in 1995 and appeared on the same dealer's stand at the OMRS Convention in September 1995.

Died "In camp," at Balaclava, on the 25th of January 1855.

Is shown on the muster roll as "Died suddenly" and "in debt", owing £5/7/1d to Captain Tremayne.

Next of kin, (in 1854). Wife, Mrs. Foster. Living in Belfast.

A wooden memorial board was placed over his grave (it had fallen down by 1857) which read: "Sacred to the memory of Mr. C.M. Foster, late Quarter-master of the 13th Light Dragoons, who departed this life in Camp before Balaclava 25th of January 1855, aged 40 years and 5 months." This was one of the 38 graves to the Regiment, not all of which had memorials, and was in the 13th Light Dragoons cemetery on the road between Kadikoi and Karani.