| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Edward Edmunds was born on 2 Feb 1878, the third son to John, a doctor’s groom and Elizabeth Edmunds of 6 Gardham Yard, Highgate, Beverley, he had six siblings. Edward attended the Minster Moor Gate Infants School in Beverley before moving to the Minster Boys School on 9 Feb 1885. He left there in Dec 1889 and the 1891 census shows that he was working at the age of 13, still living with his parents in Highgate.
The 1911 census shows Edward as single, working as a dock labourer and living with the Wilson family at 16 White Avenue, Central Street, Hull.
Edward enlisted in Hull and served in the East Yorkshire Regiment. However, from the War Gratuity payment of £6 made to his mother Elizabeth after the war, it can be estimated that his date of enlistment was June 1915.
The East Yorkshire Regiment records in the York Army Museum show that he originally enlisted in the 2/4th Battalion as a Private and then moved to the 3/4th Battalion, possibly due to the forming of new battalions and reorganisation of the Regiment in 1915. Neither of his first two battalions served overseas during the war.
Edward, still a Private, later moved to the 2/5th Battalion, Border Regiment before eventually moving to the 1st Battalion (Regular Army). At the time of his death, Edward held the rank of Lance Corporal and was serving with the battalion in the Somme area. The battalion’s War Diary for 16 Nov 1916 shows that they were situated near Les Boeufs and moved up to the firing line opposite Le Transloy, where it was noted, “Practically no accommodation for Officers or men”. It snowed the following day before turning to rain in the days thereafter, which caused this entry, “Trenches are in a very bad state owing to ran.”.
The battle of the Transloy Ridges was part of the first battle of the Somme which came to an end on 18 Nov 1916 – the day Lance Corporal Edward Edmunds was killed in action.
Lance Corporal Edward Edmunds has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |