UNDERWOOD, Ernest


No.97349, Private, Ernest UNDERWOOD
Aged 27


"E" Battalion, Tank Corps
formerly 303340, Army Service Corps
Killed in Action on Tuesday, 20th November 1917


Ernest Underwood was born in Stoke by Clare [Risbridge Q4-1890 4A:600), son of George and Susanna UNDERWOOD (née BOWERS).


1891 census...Aged 6 months, he was at Boyton End, Stoke by Clare with his father George UNDERWOOD [37] farm servant born Birdbrook; his mother Susanna [31] born Ashen; brothers Arthur [10] born Stoke by Clare, William [8] and Bertie [2] both born Birdbrook; sisters Florence BOWERS [11] born Ashen, Annie [6] and Alice [4] both born in Birdbrook.

1901 census...Aged 10, he was still at Boyton End with his parents; sisters Florence and Ada [8] born Stoke by Clare; brothers Arthur and William, both farm labourers, and Bertie.

1911 census...Aged 20, labourer for builder, he was at Preston's Farm, Boyton End with his parents and brothers Arthur (farm worker) and Bertie (labourer). All 8 siblings survive.

CWGC have the family address as Wixoe

He married May WARREN [18-12-1892] in Q3-1916. They had one daughter, Constance Violet, born 4-11-1916. She married Alfred J.DRANE in 1920 and lived at 2 Station Terrace, Stoke by Clare.


He enlisted in Haverhill.
The Tank Corps lost 91 men that day, 21 of them from "E" Battalion. It was the first day of the battle of Cambria and the Tank Corps started with 437 tanks (nine battalions). At the end of that first day they had lost 180, of which 65 were destroyed, 71 suffered mechanical failure and 43 ditched.


British Mark IV tank





Ernest Underwood is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, panel 13

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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