Pte Edward Edwards

[Dannemois]

A brother to my great grandfather, namely Edward A. Edwards enlisted in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment on 10 Aug 1899, he joined the 1st Bn as Private 6003 Edwards. and served in South Africa. During WW1 his medal card states his disembarkation date with the regiment was 22 Oct 1914. A letter to his wife states “he was transferred on the 9^th May 1917, from Douai Camp to the Reserve Lazarett at Hamburg, where he died on 10 May 1917, from an injury to the pelvis.

Can someone please help me piece together details of his life between 22 Oct 1914 and 10 May 1917? I would appreciate an explanation of ‘Camp to the Reserve Lazarett at Hamburg’ and any info on locations, battles etc that he may have been involved in.

Regards, Roy

[ATNOMIS]

Hi

Might help...

On his MIC says

Clasp2/2642

Medals.

Vic

BWM

disembarkation 22.10.14

Name: EDWARDS

Initials: E

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Age: 38

Date of Death: 10/05/1917

Service No: 6003

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. D. 2.

Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY

Plus might be worth looking here

http://www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com/wardiary001.htm

[KevinBattle]

Just a brief note: Lazarette was the German for Military Hospital. That makes the "injury to his pelvis" sound more deliberate than accidental.

Without a clearer idea as to when he might have been captured, it may be impossible to reconstruct what his life in the trenches was like.

Do you have anything else of family mementoes or recollections that will give us some clues?

It seems an unusually swift transfer from Douai to Hamburg from 9th May to dying on 10th May. Perhaps his injuries were fatal wounds sustained some days earlier, but he was obviously in control of his faculties when writing or dictating the letter....

[punjab612]

but he was obviously in control of his faculties when writing or dictating the letter....

Was the letter to his wife from the man himself or somebody else recounting his situation and death?

Peter

[Dannemois]

Was the letter to his wife from the man himself or somebody else recounting his situation and death?

Peter

Hi Peter

The information was from a letter sent by the 2nd Lieut for Colonel IC of Infantry Records to the wife. Another from the War Office, London to the Officer IC No 2 Record Office at Preston. For your interest all details for Pte Edwards are on Ancestry.

[Verrico2009]

You're in luck - there seem to be rather a lot of service papers which have survived for him:-

Name: Edward Edwards

Regimental Number: 6003

Number of Images: 3

Name: Edward Edwards

Estimated birth year: abt 1879

Age at Enlistment: 20

Birth Parish: St Marys

Birth County: Lancashire

Document Year: 1899

Regimental Number: 6003

Regiment Name: Kings Own (RL) Regt

Number of Images: 5

and a breath-taking:-

Name: Edward Edwards

Estimated birth year: abt 1879

Age at Enlistment: 20

Birth Parish: St Mary's

Birth County: Lancashire

Document Year: 1899

Regimental Number: 6003

Regiment Name: Kings Own (RL) Regt

Number of Images: 65

Worth finding out if the free 14-day Ancestry trial is still running or getting to your nearest large library with access!