Edward Edwards
Photo courtesy of College House, Christchurch NZ

Reverend Edwards was (most likely) the first Scoutmaster and Chief Scoutmaster of the newly formed Church troop at Avonside (Holy Trinity) Church in around 1908/09.  This is the Troop which came to be known as the Avonside Boy Scout Troop, and then went on to become St. Matthew's Scout Group in 1922.  It appears he left the Troop when he moved to the Phillipstown church during absence of vicar H. E. Ensor (in January of 1911)

Early Life
Edward was born in Oamaru on the 25^th of April 1880 to Herbert Edwards and Mary Elizabeth Edwards (nee. Houghton).  He was the brother to Ernest Edwards (Mining Engineer), Marion (May) Edwards, and Selwyn Edwards (Engineer).  His Father, Herbert Edwards, was a North Otago farmer and land developer in Ngapara and was later noted as a gentleman of Tee Street, Oamaru ^[1] (More information on Edward's family can be obtained from the North Otago Museum in Oamaru).

Education
His schooling began at Oamaru South School, and He then attended Waitaki Boys High School.  He is believed to have attended Selwyn College in Dunedin for a short time in 1898, although no record can be found of that.  From 1899 to 1905 he was at College House and Canterbury College in Christchurch.  He held a BA from the University of New Zealand and a grade III BTS (Board of Theological Studies).

Career
He was, from the 1^st of April 1906 until Jan 1911, assistant (to W. A. Pascoe) curate at the Avonside Church in Christchurch - and it is thought that he was the first Scoutmaster of the new Scout Troop that was started there (Many Troops were forming all over New Zealand at this time, and Churches were instrumental in a large portion of them).  This troop was known as the Avonside Troop until the early 1920's when it moved to St. Matthews Church and changed its name.

Edward left Avonside to briefly spend some time in the Philipstown Parish before heading off overseas to serve in several churches in Canada (and possibly the US) and finally in the UK, where he was when the Great War broke out.

The Great War

Edward enlisted in the Army in 1915, originally applying to be a Chaplain, but had been turned down for reasons unknown (quite possibly they had enough at the time), and so enlisted as a medic with the Royal Army Medical Corps.  He appears to have later transferred to the 4th battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment, and was promoted on the 1st of March 1917 to 2nd Lieutenant.  It is assumed that the photo above was taken during or after his officer training, which would have occurred back in England.

Edward first entered the war when he landed in Egypt on May 15th, 1915.  He also served in Mudros, a hospital & supply base in Greece for casualties from the Galipolli campaign among other things, and then throughout the western front with the 4th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment.  The last major action he would have been involved with would have been the Battle of Arras (which, incidentally, had involved a great number of Kiwi soldiers and miners)^[3].

Edward was, sadly, killed on active service on the 30th of May 1917 ^[2].  He was 37 years of age.

Our Chief Scoutmaster, Edward Edwards is remembered on the Arras Memorial in France (Bay 6), also with a bronze plaque on the wall of the Avonside Holy Trinity Church in Christchurch, on several honour memorials including his old high school (Waitaki Boys High) and by a tree planted in his memory in his hometown of Oamaru, New Zealand.  As with so many men who gave their lives on the Western Front, He has no known grave.

A memorial Oak was planted in his honour by his hometown of Oamaru, and is still standing today.  Note the wrong year on the cross - which is due to the wrong date being provided to the Town Council by his Father (both day and year - although the day is also wrong in the Poverty Bay Herald obituary notice) in a letter of response to a call for fallen sons.

References

[1] The Blain Directory - Father Michael Blain - http://www.anglicanhistory.org/nz/blain_directory/pdf

[2] Commonwealth War Graves Commision - http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1541178

[3] New Zealand History Online - The Arras Tunnels.

[4] The World War Message Board (Alan Greveson - a wonderful source of information)

Papers Past - Poverty Bay Herald, Wednesday June 20th 1917 - Page 3 - Obituary notice image

Waitaki Boys' High School war memorials - Ministry for Culture and Heritage

The North Otago Museum in Oamaru, NZ - http://www.northotagomuseum.co.nz/

Photo of Edward Edwards courtesy of College House, 100 Waimari Rd, Ilam, Christchurch

And last, but far from least - Jane Teal from the Anglican Archives in Christchurch provided a mass of information, support and advice while researching Edward (among other things).

Research notes here