Charlton was also a member of Great Britain's squad for the 1952 Olympics,[3] although he did not play within the footballing tournament.
[2] In November 1955 Charlton joined Arsenal with Orient teammate Vic Groves for £30,000, and succeeded Len Wills as the club's first-choice right back.
Charlton was also an ever-present figure for the club in the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons, and played for the London XI in both legs of the semi-finals of the 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Lausanne Sports.
[1] However, he was dropped by Arsenal after a 3–1 defeat to Burnley in September 1958, in favour of Wills, the man he had originally displaced.
He also attended other popular LOSC functions, such as the regular reunions of fellow O's players that played in the Leyton Orient side that won promotion to the First Division.