Name
Arthur William Edwards
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
10/06/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
15453
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
BOUZINCOURT RIDGE CEMETERY, ALBERT
II. S. 3.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Therfield memorial
Pre War
Arthur William Edwards was born in 1888, the son of Arthur and Sarah Edwards.
1891 census details
The family was living in Hoops Lane where father Arthur was 27 and mother Sarah 25. They had Sarah 5, Arthur 3 and Gertrude 9 months. All were born in Therfield.
1901 census details
They were now living in Police Row and Arthur at 13 was already working on the land. Maggi 5, Frederick 3 and Ellen 1 had arrived.
1911 census details
Arthur now seemed to be a head of household in Police Row possibly next door to his parents. He had his 2 brothers living with him. Two more girls, Lilly and Connie had been born so Sarah had had 9 children altogether and obviously the house was not big enough for everyone so the boys lived next door.
Wartime Service
Arthur enlisted on September 7th 1914 in Royston and after training went over to France on August 30th 1915.
He served with the 8th battalion Bedfords from 1915 to February 1918 when the 8th was disbanded and troops were sent to other units. We know he went to the 2nd battalion Bedfords.
The 8th fought valiantly and were known as the ‘Hungry 8th’. Below is an overview of the battalion in the Great War:
During their service in the Great War, the Battalion was engaged during the following battles:
In 1915 they were one of the few 'New Army' units to be committed to The Battle of Loos in September. They were also in the line when the army experienced the first German use of Phosgene gas in December, losing hundreds of men in the attack.
In 1916 they lost heavily during a massed bombardment and raid on their lines in April and were engaged in The Battles of the Somme 1916, specifically at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette and the Battle of Morval in September, as ell as the Battle of Le Transloy in October.
In 1917 the battalion were involved in Battle of Hill 70 in April and during the Cambrai Operations (also called the Battle of Cambrai), specifically during the Tank attack and the Battle of Bourlon Wood in November, as well as throughout the German counter attacks in November and December.
Around 670 Officers and men of the battalion gave their lives for King and Country, with over half of them doing so in the battles of 1916, and around 2,800 men were also wounded during the battalion's tours on the Western Front.
According to the Royston Crow newspaper, Arthur was gassed in December 1915 and wounded in the chest and back on October 14th 1916 and was sent back to a Manchester hospital then on to convalesce in Bury. He subsequently returned to the Front in 1917. In February 1918 saw Arthur transferred to the 2nd battalion.
In 1918 this battalion were heavily engaged in the First Battles of the Somme 1918 (also called the German Spring Offensives, Operation Michael or Kaiserschlacht), specifically the Battle of St Quentin, the actions at the Somme crossings and the Battle of Rosieres in March. During the Battle of the Lys, they were also engaged in the First Battle of Kemmel and the Battle of Scherpenberg in April. Once the Allied army went on the final offensives that would become loosely known as the "100 days" they were engaged in several actions. That summer was Arthur’s final one as he was killed on June 10th.
The battalion war diary records:
10 Jun 1918 Battalion in the Line Draft of 3 Other Ranks joined Battalion from Base 3/8112 Sgt.T.A.Smith [Thomas A. SMITH, DCM, MM] awarded D.C.M. 2 Other Ranks Killed, (one of whom was Arthur), 1 Other Rank wounded, at duty Lieut.J.M.Glen [John Mackenzie GLEN], 2/Lieut.A.D. Greenwood [Arthur Donald GREENWWOD], 2/Lieut.H.J.Poulter [Herbert James POULTER], 2/Lieut.G.S.Richards 88 Other Ranks To Base 10.6.18.
He was killed in action in June 1918 and is buried in Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery which is just N.W. of Albert in area 2 Row S. Grave 3.
From the Royston Crow 28th June 1918:
"Private Arthur William Edwards, Beds Regt of Police Row, Therfield, was Killed in Action on 10 June 1918. He was 30 years old. He had worked on the farm of Captain Fordham of Therfield prior to enlistment on 14 September 1914 He had been in France since September 1915, he had been gassed in December and on 16 October 1917 he had been badly wounded. He had returned to France to be wounded again. Another son had been three years serving in Salonika. He had been employed as a shepherd for Capt Fordham."
Acknowledgments
Jean Handley
