Edwin Marsden

[deano]

Hi,

would like to know more about this chap if possible, i have failed miserably with Google!

17502 2nd Cpl. Edwin Marsden, 17th Field Coy. RE. He was 'Mentioned in Depatches'.

Died 23/8/14.

The interesting bit is the additional information on CWGC,

'He was the inventor of the improved trestle for bridge building accepted by the War Office, and known as the Marsden Band Trestle'.

Any images/info/etc of said 'trestle' ?

regards

Dean.

[Myrtle]

Dean

No further information about the Marsden Band Trestle but interestingly there was an account of Edwin Marsden's death in The Times on 19th September 1914.

A Corporal’s Gallantry

News has reached Sheffield of the death in action of Corporal Edwin Marsden R.E. In a letter conveying the news of his death, Major C. W. Singer, commanding the 17th Company, R.E. paid a tribute to his heroism. “It will be a gratification to you”, he writes to corporal Marsden’s father, “to know that he died as he had lived, as a brave soldier and a gentleman. He had just performed a most gallant deed in volunteering to blow up a bridge under very heavy fire, which he did unscathed; shortly afterwards he was hit on the head by a shrapnel bullet and expired instantaneously, without any pain…Personally I feel I have lost a friend and a gallant comrade.”

[sotonmate]

Dean

This rings a bell as I have read of it,probably in the many War Diaries I have seen,but I don't recall chapter and verse in my old head !

I was going to point you at 17FCRE War Diary for Aug 1914,WO95/1535,as it might have had his brainchild featured.I had read 5 Division's early phases of mobilisation for that month,only to discover that this Field Coy's Diary had only begun on the 27th Aug and had missed all the preamble of preparation from the day of mobilisation,4 August. It's first entry was 27 Aug at Estrees,but I did read that on the 23rd a sister Company (59) from the same Div was busy preparing bridges for demolition in the vicinity of Hainin.,near Mons.I do know that some War Diaries were lost in a direct hit on a GS wagon around this time,and some had been reconstructed later.

Sotonmate

[deano]

I wasn't expecting that Myrtle, excellent find, thank you.

Sotonmate, it'll come to you eventually. I like the idea he was blowing bridges up as well as improving on their construction !

Dean.

[Myrtle]

I wasn't expecting that Myrtle, excellent find, thank you.

Sotonmate, it'll come to you eventually. I like the idea he was blowing bridges up as well as improving on their construction !

Dean.

Dean

I didn't expect it either. The Times isn't known particularly for reporting ORs deaths.

Who better to blow up a bridge than someone who knew how to build them. At least he would have known exactly where to place the charges.

[sotonmate]

Dean

What a coincidence ! My library has renewed it's WW1 book shelves,a periodic reshuffle from the central stock,I guess. There's a book I should read "MONS 1914-1918 The beginning and the End" Don Farr,so I'm reading it.

It's 23 August 1914 and I'm with 5 Div II Corps on the Mons-Conde Canal at St Ghislain,a little to the south of Tertre. Units are busy covering the canal crossings,not only here but the many along the Canal in the sector. There is much evidence in preceding pages of final acts of blowing the bridges as matters become untenable,some don't blow and some do. Here at St Ghislain the 1 West Kents have kept three battalions of the Brandenburg Grenadiers at bay for most of the day and done all they can to hold,but have to withdraw,and "once the Infantry were clear the Sappers of 17th Field Company successfully blew the road and rail bridges in the West Kent sector". It must have been at this point that Corporal Marsden was in his last action.

Sotonmate

[deano]

Excellent coincidence sotonmate! I'll see if i can get it through inter library loan from somewhere. I've not found anything else re the 'Band'.

regards

Dean.