Hello Alan

I am posting a request from the 4th Battalion Worcester regiment forum, as for some reason I can't give this web address direct to Steve.

I shall be at NA this week so have said I will look at the date of his death in the regimental diary, but the other research Steve would like is beyond my abilities.
I thought you may be able to help. Hope that is o.k with you?

with best wishes for a very happy Christmas

Anne

I am trying to trace the history of one of our earliest Scoutmasters of the Avonside Boy Scout Troop in Christchurch, New Zealand - Reverend edward edwards. 2nd Lt,
4th Battalion Worcs.

I know from the Church records here that he moved to London and was the curate at St. Annes Limehouse in London before he joined the Army in 1915, and a side note says RAMC - I assume this to mean Royal Army Medical Corps?

The next line shows he served in Gallipoli and Egypt, and died in action in France on the 31st of May 1917 - the records online for the Regiment show the 30th - so I'm not sure what is right. He was apparently a 2nd Lt. in the 4th Battalion of the Worcester Regiment in France at the time of his death.

How would I go about finding more information on him during his time in the military? If possible I would like to find out if his final resting place is known as well. Any help would be appreciated.

regards from Down Under

Steve Dunford

Reply from: Alan Greveson
Date: Monday 21st December 2009 at 5:41 PM
Dear Anne,
edward edwards enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a private with the regimental number 57854. His Medal Rolls Index card showed he entered Egypt on May 15th 1915. He would therefore have volunteered for service late in 1914, or early 1915, assuming he had had some months' training. He qualified for the 1914-15 Star for service before December 31st 1915 with the RAMC. The index card showed he was commissioned; joined the Worcestershire Regiment as a Second Lieutenant and was killed in action on May 30th 1917. His 1914-15 Star was returned to the medals office and re-issued with the British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal in July 1920. The 1914-15 Star was probably returned by the RAMC records office to the medals office as the latter would have had the correspondence from edward's next-of-kin.
edward was commissioned on March 1st 1917. A supplement to the London Gazette dated 29th March 1917, page 3086 stated: "Worc R: Cadet edward edwards to be temp 2nd Lt (attd) 1 Mar 1917".
The CWGC record showed he died on May 30th 1917, aged 37, while with "C" Company, 4th Bn Worcestershire Regiment. He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial and has no known grave.
The 4th Bn Worcestershire regiment had been fighting in the Arras offensive of April and May 1917 but the 30th May does not appear to be a conspicuous occasion. The Battalion lost three men (edward and two other ranks) on May 30th 1917.
There is no record of which RAMC unit edward served in, although the actual Medal Roll (RAMC/5A page 385) may show that. He entered Egypt on May 15th 1915 and his obituary in the Poverty Bay Herald (Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14329, 20 June 1917, Page 3) stated he served at Mudros and Egypt. Mudros was a small Greek port on the Aegean island of Lemnos. It became a forward British base in the early part of 1915 to supply the campaign in the Dardanelles 50km away. It also became a hospital base for casualties incurred during the Gallipoli campaign. Once the campaign was abandonned at the end of 1915 the importance of Mudros declined, although it remained the base for the blockade of the Dardanelles for the rest of the war.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/pdf_files/MedEvac.pdf.
Service in Egypt in 1916 would have included medical support to troops defending the Suez Canal.
For edward to have been commissioned in March 1917 he would have needed to have completed a three-month course at an Officer Cadet School, probably in England, from about December 1916.
edward was born in Oamaru, New Zealand in 1880 (New Zealand Government Identity Services Registration Number 1880/6811) the son of Herbert and Mary whose marriage appears to be 1870/4659 Mary Elizabeth Houghton to Herbert edwards. edward went to school at Waitaki Boys' School where he is commemorated on the school war memorial.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/waitaki-college-war-memorial
After attending Canterbury College, Christchurch, New Zealand he undertook his theological training at Selwyn College, Dunedin, which was named after the first Bishop of New Zealand, George Augustus Selwyn. edward was curate of Holy Trinity Church, Avonside in 1908 and also at Christchurch and Phillipstown before he travelled to Canada and the United States, arriving in England shortly before the outbreak of war. He originally applied to be a chaplain to the forces but was unsuccessful and so he joined the RAMC. (Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14329, 20 June 1917, Page 3).
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast
Your correspondent Steve Dunford says edward was curate of St Anne's Church, Limehouse, before joining the Army in 1915. Interestingly, edward appears to be commemorated on the war memorial of East Meon village outside St Mary's Church, East Worldham, Hampshire.
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hampshire/EastWorldham.html
As edward was commissioned into the regular army during WW1 and died before 1920 his service record may be at the National Archives in series WO 339, which is indexed by name and initial in WO 338.
It would appear that his final resting place is not known, although you may find his last known location in the war diary of the 4th Bn Worcestershire Regiment. Three separate contemporary sources (MIC; CWGC and Soldiers Died in the Great War) all showed his date of death as 30th May 1917. The Poverty Bay Herald reported it as May 31st.
Kind regards,
Alan

Reply from: Anne Lewis
Date: Monday 21st December 2009 at 8:19 PM
Alan
I know Steve will be thrilled with such a detailed reply from you (as I am on his behalf). I thought it was a wonderful idea that Steve was trying to piece edward's story together for the sake of the Scout troops in N.Z. Thank you once again for such a fantastic response- even at such a busy time of year!
With very best regards
Anne

Reply from: Steve Dunford
Date: Tuesday 22nd December 2009 at 8:56 AM
Allan (and Anne), I am amazed at the level of detail you have provided us here in New Zealand. I am stunned, and very grateful. To obtain this much about one of our (possibly THE) earliest Scoutmasters of our Troop is beyond what I hoped for.

I have also found, using the Blain Biographical Directory, his family details in Oamaru - And I have just been informed by the Oamaru Museum that his father asked the Town to plant a tree in his honour - I'm hoping to find this in a few days while I am there. They still have the letter and will show me this.

I'm interested in the finding of his name on the St Marys monument - I will look into this as best I can.

Once again, my sincerest thanks

Steve

From the Worcestershire Regiment forums

Excerpt from Stackes' history of the regiment

Early in May the 4th Worcestershire were made up to strength by fresh drafts and moved back into the battle-area. The Battalion marched northward from Coigneux on May 1st, billetted* that night in Souastre and then next day proceeded through Humbercamp and LaherHere to Saultry
Labret Station. Thence the Battalion moved by train to Arras, where quarters were found in the cellars of the ruined houses in the Grande Place. All next morning the Battalion stood to arms, awaiting orders to move forward in support' of an attack which was then in progress ; but no orders came (a) and eventually the companies were dismissed to rest.
During the next ten days the Battalion remained in billets (b) providing many working parties, some of which went forward across the battle-field as far as the front line.
On May 14th the 4th Worcestershire moved forward into the battle-area. For a week the companies were in reserve or support positions, mainly occupied in providing working and entrenching parties; then on May 20th the Battalion went forward to the front line. The front of the 29th Division now stretched from Monchy to the River Scarpe, and the Worcestershire relieved the Northamptonshire Yeomanry (c) in trenches immediately south of the river.
Those trenches were held by the Battalion, alternately with the Northamptonshire Yeomanry, until the end of the month (d). The trench line ran across a sharp valley in which there was much scope for enterprise. Several small adventures took place when parties pushed out from the line by night to establish posts further forward (e); but nothing of importance occurred until on the evening of May 30th. ' •
On that night the 29th Division made a great attempt to advance the line on'Infantry Hill.
The centre of the fight was away to the right but, as a diversion, the 4th Worcestershire were ordered to make a small attack on the German trenches near a mill which stood west of Pelves on rising ground above the river.
The hour for the main attack on the right had been fixed at half-an-hour before midnight.
The attack of the 4th Worcestershire was to be delivered five minutes before that hour, in order • to draw the fire of the German guns.
The attack was made by two platoons. In silence the two platoons climbed out of their trenches and advanced; but a heavy thunderstorm had soaked the ground and progress was slow. The enemy were on the alert, flares went up, and the German guns opened an intense fire. Through the
shell-bursts the attacking platoons struggled onwards, across heavy mud under a rapid fire from the enemy's trench. Many fell, but the rest plunged on, reached the German entanglements and engaged
in a bombing fight with the enemy on the parapet. Only when their bombs had run out did the Worcestershire platoons retire. The retreat was covered by 2nd Lieutenant E. D. Barclay, who gallantly held the enemy at bay with his last few bombs while his men withdrew (/).
Almost at once the enemy retaliated. The German gun-fire became heavier, and a large raiding party came forward from the hostile trench. Again a fierce bombing fight ensued; but ' the enemy raiders failed to gain a footing in our line, and eventually fell back. Away to the right the main battle was in progress on Infantry Hill. Heavy firing lasted all
night and, did not die down until the morning. Presently word came down that no success had been gained.
When it became possible to reckon the casualties of that fierce night it was found that the 4th Worcestershire had lost some forty killed and wounded (g).