L/Cpl. Horace Edwards MM & Bar, G/24179 20th & 4th Middlesex Regiment

[Ivor Anderson]

L/Cpl. Horace Edwards MM & Bar, G/24179 20th & 4th Middlesex Regiment

WW1 Service - No surviving service record

           Pte. (L/Cpl.) G/24179, 20th (Shoreditch) Bn. Middlesex Regiment

           20th Bn. entered France 6th June 1916.

MM in LG 30573, 13 March 1918 schedule no. 145213 with 20th Middlesex Regt.

           121st Brigade, 40th Division. For the Battle of Cambrai - prob. Bourlon Village & Wood, 23rd November 1917.

MM Bar in LG 31405, 17 June 1919 schedule no. 222055 with 4th Middlesex Regt.

             63rd Brigade, 37th Division. For the ‘Advance to Victory’ Sept-Oct 1918. 

Entitled to BWM & VM. Both MM LG entries state that he was from ‘Bow’ in E. London.

Currently trying to piece together the service details of this man inc. when in 1918 he moved to the 4th Bn.?

[Ivor Anderson]

From LLT & other sources inc. War Diary:

20th Battalion, Middlesex Regt. War Diary 

20th (Service) Battalion (Shoreditch)

Formed in Shoreditch on 18 May 1915 by the Busby Bird, the Mayor of Shoreditch and a committee from the Borough. 

The 20th & 21st were ‘bantam’ battalions made up of men of short stature. 

The battalion initially trained at Victoria Park in Hackney and was accommodated at Columbia Market in Bethnal Green.

24 September 1915: began to move to Albuhera Barracks at Aldershot and  came under command of 118th Brigade in 39th Division.

8 November 1915: moved to “C” Lines at Witley.

2 February 1916 : moved to Ramillies Barracks at Aldershot for rifle range training and returned to Witley on 14 February.

3 April 1916: moved to Pirbright and transferred to 121st Brigade in 40th Division.

6 June 1916 : 20th Bn. landed in France.

From Wiki page on 40th Division: "The exhausted 62nd Division was replaced by the 40th Division, commanded by Major-General John Ponsonby, on 23 November. Supported by almost a hundred tanks and 430 guns, the 40th attacked into the woods of Bourlon Ridge on the morning of the 23rd. They made little progress. The Germans had put two divisions of Gruppe Arras on the ridge with another two in reserve and Gruppe Caudry was reinforced. The 40th Division reached the crest of the ridge but were held there and suffered over 4,000 casualties for their efforts in three days. The division was subsequently driven back in the German counterattacks, suffering many more losses."

20th Middlesex War Diary 22 Nov. 1917 - 

"Verbal orders received from GOC to take over from 62nd Div. N of Graincourt during night and be prepared to attack BOURLON Village and Wood at dawn."

      The WD has a very detailed account of 23rd Nov 1917

 

6 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength - 760 ORs returned to Base.

31 May 1918 : transferred to 16th (Irish) Division.

16 June 1918 : moved to Boulogne and transferred to 43rd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division. Crossed to England next day. Moved to Brookwood.

20 June 1918 : reconstituted by absorbing 34th Bn.

5 July 1918 : landed at Boulogne.

Edited 16 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Given the 'Bow' connection, the most likely candidate pre-WW1 is: Horace William Edwards b. August 1894

1889 Parents William David and Amelia Edwards (nee Reddick) married Poplar district, London Q4 1889 (1c 1200). Father a Carpenter.

1890 Sister Ethel Maud born 5th Nov. 1890

1891 Census: Parents (27 & 24) & Ethel living 51 Vernon Road, Bow

1892 Sister Elsie Winifred born 23rd November 1892

         Ethel & Elsie baptised St. Stephens, Tredegar Road 18th Dec. 1892. 

1894 Horace William born: 16th August 1894, 40 Vernon Road (Poplar district - 1c 544) - Ancestry index image

         Baptised: 29 August 1894, St. Stephens, Bow, Tower Hamlets

1896 Brother Sidney Clarence Edwards born 1896 (Poplar district 1c 635).

         Admitted to Malmesbury Road School 24 Aug 1903 (DoB 24 Jan 1896).

         Sidney married 10th May 1919 Maud Ethel Godefroy, St Luke’s Mile End

         Sidney died 11 March 1950 aged 54, 9 Highgrove Road, Dagenham. 

         Widow Maud Ethel Edwards £161.

1897-8 Edward enrolled at Stafford Road School, Tower Hamlets from 23 Aug 1897 to 1 July 1898, living 27 Merchant St.

1899 11th Jan - Ethel enrolled at Malmesbury Rd. School. Living 27 Merchant St.

1900 27th Aug. Elsie enrolled at Malmesbury Rd. School. Living 27 Merchant St.

1901 Census: 27 Merchants St., Bow, London, aged 6.

1901 26th August. Horace enrolled at Malmesbury Rd. School. Living 27 Merchant St.

1911 Census: Living 27 Merchants St., Bow, London, aged 16, Coachman.

1915 Married Winifred Maud Cooper Q3 (Poplar district, 1c 1379)

1915 Son William Horace DoB 25 October (1939 census), baptised 21 Nov. 1915, St. Barnabas, Bethnal Green. Address 25 Elfred St., father’s occupation ‘Carman’.

       Post WW1:

1919 Dau. Gladys born 3rd December 1919 (1939 Census).

1922 Son Frank born 4 September 1922 (death cert & 1939 census).

1937 Mother Amelia died Poplar district, London Q3 1937 aged 71.

1939 Living 110 Romsey Road, Barking, Essex (DoB 23 August 1894), Lorry Driver. Wife Winfred M (DoB 23 Dec 1893).

1950 Brother Sidney died 11 March 1950 aged 54, 9 Highgrove Road, Dagenham. 

1952  a 'Horace W Edwards' died Romford, Essex Q4 1952, aged 56 (5a 532) 

1962 Wife ‘Winifred M. Edwards’ died Romford, Essex Q3 1962 aged 68. (5a 342)

1992 - Son Frank died Q3 1992 aged 70 - Born 4 Sept 1922.

 

Edited 23 September , 2022 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Ivor Anderson]

Baptism Entry for Horace Edwards from St Stephen's, Tredegar Road, London (destroyed during WW2 bombing) - born to left (Ancestry image):

[Ivor Anderson]

The MM Index Card for Horace Edwards (From TNA) - other MMs were awarded to the 20th Bn. in the same gazette. I will list them soon.

[Ivor Anderson]

MMs to the 20th & 21st Bn. in the 13th March 1918 LG (ref. 68/121/407) - still some to find:

145207 Pte. C. Bartlett 40270 - 20th Bn.

145208 Pte. William Nicholls 50671 - 20th Bn.

145209 Pte. George Francis 14982 - 20th Bn.

145210 Pte. C. Giffen 266914 - 20th Bn.

145211 Pte. A. Levie 14440 - 20th Bn.

145212 Pte. Edwain Donaldson 92557 - 20th Bn.

145213 Pte. (L/Cpl) Horace Edwards 24179 - 20th Bn.

145214 Pte. George Maddock 14123 - 20th Bn.

 

145215 Cpl. William Horace Shiers 19808 - 21st Bn.

145216 L/Cpl. Frank W. Sirrett 19717 - 21st Bn.

145217 L/Cpl Walter Lawrence Crane 41056 - 21st Bn.

145218 L/Cpl Henry Charles Bourdin 41039 - 21st Bn.

145219 Pte. Arthur E. Williams 34742 - 21st Bn.

145220 - not issued?

145221 - not issued?

145222 Cpl. John Blakely 15078 - 21st Bn.

145223 L/Cpl Henry J. Burks 15221 - 21st Bn.

145224 Pte. Arthur Robert Walker 33763 - 21st Bn.

 

Edited 27 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[charlie962]

Ivor,

Looking at a couple of near numbers with surviving records we can deduce his probable enlistment:

24172 Boggis  Attested and posted 28th Mdx 4/12/15
        posted 20th Mdx 31/3/16
   wounded and posted home to Depot then 6th Mdx then Base Depot 25/5/17 Then 4th Mdx 11/6/17

24177 Hawkes  Attested and posted 28th Mdx 4/12/15
  Discharged soon afterwards

24179 Edwards ......

24183 Scott  Attested and posted 28th Mdx 6/12/15
        posted to 20th Mdx 20/5/16

Safe to say c5th Dec 1915 Attestation and posting to 28th Reserve Bn Mdx. Subsequent date of posting to 20th Mdx difficult to deduce but I suggest he probably was posted pre-June 1916 and went to France with the 20th on 6/6/1916.

 

Charlie

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Charlie. That makes sense and fits with what we already know. Wren & Hughes have similar enlistment dates (SWB lists, Ancestry):

Edited 17 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

The WD of the 4th Middlesex shows 14 officers and 140 ORs 'sick' with influenza (flu outbreak mentioned during prev. days) at the end of June 1918.

Horace Edwards may have been among the '62 ORs reinforcements' who arrived on 30th June 1918, or the 172 ORs who arrived on 29 August 1918.

A draft of 60 ORs also arrived on 2nd October.

Edited 18 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

The last MMs to the 4th Bn. that are mentioned in the WD were listed in LG 21 Jan 1919. Horace Edwards' came later (LG 17 June 1919).

These were for the Battle of Amiens in late August 1918 and had been listed in the WD at the end of October 1918.

Some of these were presented with ribands by the Divisional Commander on 10th February 1919 (e.g. Sgt. Lake 290524):

Though 6549 Giddings' was not gazetted until 17th June: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31405/page/7680

These 2 sergeants may have been selected for presentation as representatives of those who got the MM?

 

Edited 18 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Ivor Anderson]

These men listed in the LG of 17 June 1919 must have been awarded the MM along with Horace Edwards (Bar) for the 'Advance to Victory'.

[WalkEric]

Ivor - the list of MM recipients for the 20th and 21st Middx are part of a continuous list of 157 awards (schedules 145186 to 145347) for members of 40 Division units for their work during the Bourlon Wood attack between 23rd and 25th November 1917.

I have a spreadsheet with details of all these men including mentions of their award in higher level war diaries, newspapers etc - let me know if you want a copy.

 

Ian

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Ian. I tried the Division & Brigade WDs to no avail. I could not find which Corps they were under as it seemed to change around then.

Any copies you have would be much appreciated.

Ivor

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks for the Middlesex awards list Ian. A fantastic piece of research. I have updated the list of MMs for Cambrai. Horace Edwards' MM & Bar:

[Ivor Anderson]

 Marriage cert. of Horace's parents, William David and Amelia Edwards (nee Reddick) Christmas Day 1889 - Ancestry image.

Edited 25 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Horace was living at 110 Romsey Road, Barking in 1939 and working as a lorry driver (Ancestry image):

I cannot pinpoint a clear death record for him? A Horace W. Edwards died in Romford District in Q4 1952 aged 56 (2 years out?).

Edited 25 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

There is a surviving service record for Sgt. Timothy James Newton 14050 of the 20th Middlesex, who was killed in action on 23rd/24th Nov. 1917: https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1219&h=1382740&tid=&pid=&queryId=077dc13253114e355336a1840080c135&usePUB=true&_phsrc=AHE16953&_phstart=successSource

He had enlisted at the end of May 1915, got married 27th Feb. 1916, and was made sergeant prior to going to France on 6th June 1916.

Edited 25 October , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

On 16/10/2021 at 07:49, Ivor Anderson said:

1911 Census: Living 27 Merchants St., Bow, London, aged 16, Coachman.

Horace Edwards on 1911 census - showing parents' full names (Ancestry):

[Ivor Anderson]

On 17/10/2021 at 21:39, charlie962 said:

Safe to say c5th Dec 1915 Attestation and posting to 28th Reserve Bn Mdx. Subsequent date of posting to 20th Mdx difficult to deduce but I suggest he probably was posted pre-June 1916 and went to France with the 20th on 6/6/1916.

That ties in with him having no 1915 star:

[Ivor Anderson]

On 16/10/2021 at 07:49, Ivor Anderson said:

'Horace W Edwards' died Romford, Essex Q4 1952, aged 56 (5a 532) 

His age is 2 years out with his DoB (August 1894), but this could be due to e.g. a 6/8 error (death index):

Edited 23 September , 2022 by Ivor Anderson