No.216710, Sapper, William EDWARDS
Aged 38
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William Edwards was born in 1880 in Halstead (3rd qtr 1880 Halstead 4a:449), son of William and Elizabeth EDWARDS (née WELCH).
1881 census...Aged 7 months, he was at Cottages, Gosfield Road, Halstead with his father William EDWARDS [28] gardener born Hoxne; his mother Elizabeth [31] born Buriton, Hampshire. 1891 census...Aged 10, he was at Cottages, Victoria Road, Hoxne with his parents; sister Annie [8] born Buriton, Hants; his brothers Henry [5] and George [3] both born in Burston, Norfolk. 1901 census...Aged 21, a bricklayer, he was boarding at 17 Tyler Street, Ipswich with Grace SMITH. He is recorded as born Hoxne. 1911 census...Aged 30, a bricklayer, he was in Hoxne with his parents; sisters Annie and Emily [19] born Hoxne. He married Edith Florence BLAND [9-6-1880] on 5th June 1913 at Rattlesden Baptist Chapel. Their two daughters were Kathleen Florence [23-3- 1914] and Marjorie Helen [13-10-1915], both born in Drinkstone. On the pension card his widow was at Drinkstone. |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds on, and was mobilised on 1st December 1916. He gave his age as 36 years 3 months, a bricklayer from
Drinkstone Green, Woolpit. He was 5 feet 8.5 inches tall, chest 34.5 to 37 inches, weighing 141 lbs. He joined the B.E.F. in France on 26th September 1917. Taken ill, (the record states 'malaria') he was admitted to Military Hospital on 28th August 1918. He became unconscious on 3rd September and died at 6 pm that day. The post mortem on the 4th recorded his death as "necrosis of the spleen, probably due to cerebral malaria". First reports had given the cause as meningitis. Army Form 5080 (Living blood relatives) in 1919 has his widow and children in Drinkstone, father dead, mother in Hoxne, brother Henry and George, sisters Annie and Emily. Several pages of his records are too faint, or incomplete.
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