Although I can only speculate about why Charles returned to England in 1914, this may help to answer a few possibilities.
www.novascotiagenealogy.comis an online database of bmd's for Nova Scotia and their are delayed birth registrations for both Charles and Florence M Gotts in Nova Scotia. Both were born in Springhill, NS. There are documents included with the registrations to prove these children were actually born in NS that you may find interesting. There is also the marriage of Elizabeth Gotts and William Russell.
Charles Gotts was a coal miner and it appears he was in Springhill from about 1903/04 until he went to Canning Parish, near Minto NB where he is in the 1911 census. There was a large miners strike in Nova Scotia from 1909 to 1911 the longest strike was in Springhill and several mining families moved on, most to Alberta and the coal fields there.
From the delayed birth registration for Charles, he was in Westville during the school year 1912/1913 aged 7 years, 6 months, 29 days on August 1, 1912. Cannot say whether he was living with his parents or possibly his sister Elizabeth who was married to William Russell. The mines in Stellarton and area would have been up and running by 1912.
From the delayed registration of birth for Florence M, it appears that she may have been baptized in Canning Parish, NB. The document is very faded by some it readable. In 1911, the Gotts family was in Northfield, Sunbury & Queens which is part of Canning Parish, a large coal mining community near Minto, NB.
From one of the ancestry boards, Samuel Morgan Gotts worked as a coal miner (child) in Minto, NB from 1915-1917.
in 1921, Samuel Gotts is on the census as a lodger, coal miner, Copper Cliff town (McKim).
Charles Gotts may have gone back to England looking for work in the coal mines or to enlist in the British army. It is also possible that he was stuck in England after war broke out and enlisted there. It would be surprising if he actually went back to England with the purpose to enlist as enlistment in the Canadian Oversea Expedition started in late summer 1914. Once back in England and if enlisted he would have been in England until at least 1919 unless wounded in battle. Serving as a British soldier he would remain in England to recuperate, if enlisted as Canadian would spend time in hospital in England and then be returned to Canada to recuperate. Being born in 1874 at the beginning of the war would have made him on the older side to enlist in 1914. Working the mines would have been more likely in that given year.
If he and Susan/Susanna were apart for 4-5 years, they would have likely drifted apart. Also, depending on if/when she may have seen him in 1920/21, they may have decied that life apart was better than life together. They may never have divorced and she may have just remarried. That would not have been uncommon. Paperwork was not as common or necessary in 1920 as it is now.
I would get the death registration/certificate for Charles Gotts in Gateshead in 1955 to see if it is your Charles.
FYI
Springhill was a vibrant community in 1903/1904 and hundreds of miners and families came to Springhill with hopes of a brighter future. I was born and raised in Springhill and my husband and I also lived in Westville, NS for 4 years.
