Charles Warren grew up in Haldimand County where he learned the drilling trade while working as a water boy on gas rigs in the area. In 1923, Charles Warren and his brother Bob signed a contract with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company to drill for oil in Persia. Their journey to Persia took them by ship through New York City, England, France, and onto Egypt. From there, they began a long trek across the desert to Southern Persia. Although the hot, dusty land sent Bob home after a short stay, Charles remained with the company for a total of seven years, extending his last contract for a little bit so as to not arrive back home in the middle of Winter. Warren brought home a number of exotic mementoes from his time abroad: silk kimonos for his sisters, egg-shell china, Persian rugs, ebony elephants with ivory tusks, a brass bowl with a stand of wood carved into three snakes and inlaid with ivory. After his adventure in the Middle East, Warren settled back into the drilling business in Haldimand County.