Name
Edward Alfred Vick
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
10/02/1917
37
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Rifleman
S/27350
Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own)
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PERONNE ROAD CEMETERY, MARICOURT
III. B. 31.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Sawbridgeworth memorials
Pre War
Edward was born in Sawbridgeworth on 11 May 1880 and was baptised on 6 June that year, the son of Alfred Stephen and Emily Vick.
In 1881 the family were living at Bridge Street, Saffron Walden, but by 1891 they were again living at Sawbridgeworth in Knight Street.
Edward was a professional soldier. He enlisted into Queen Victoria’s Army in the late 1890s and served well. He became a cavalry Trooper and was to serve with the Commander-in-Chief’s Bodyguard in the Boer War in South Africa with the service number 25601. This was a picked unit of mainly colonial soldiers. Edward was to receive both the Queen’s South Africa Medal and the King’s South Africa Medal. From 1900 until the unit’s disbandment in 1902, the Commander-in-Chief was Field Marshall Lord Kitchener. On the 21 January 1902, as his unit was disbanding, He had served 10 years in the 1st Herts Volunteer Battalion.
In the summer of 1912, Edward married Maud Dewey at Poplar in London. They were to have three children, the youngest of which was born in 1916 after Edward had re-enlisted in 1915.
Edward’s father from 1911 onwards lived at 128 East Surrey Grove in Camberwell, where he rented three downstairs unfurnished rooms and lived alone. Edward gave his address as 150 East Surrey Grove, when enlisting, which he did on the 15th December 1915. Prior to that he was a coffee stall keeper.
Wartime Service
He attested on the 10th December 1915 and was mobilised 16th June 1916. and was formerly R/28007 in the King’s Royal Rifle Corp, before transferred on the 1st September 1916, before being posted to the Rifle Brigade on the 9th November 1916 entering France om the 10th., but had a second posting, to the 2nd Battalion on the 28th of that month,
Edward Vick’s date of death is given as 10 February 1917, but he was almost certainly being treated before that as he died from Bronchial Pneumonia with signs of Tuberculosis in the right lung due to exposure while on military duty. He died in number 10 Field Ambulance. Interestingly, because we assume that it was not common at the time, his death was the subject of a post mortem.
Edward Vick is buried at Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt, France. He was aged 36.
Additional Information
His headstone reads “Home at last thy labour done safe and blest the victory won”, as requested by his wife.
His effects, returned to his wife on the 1st June 1917, included letters & Photos, wallet, belt, pencil, toothbrush, 3 trinkets and 3 coins.
He was a cousin of Alfred Saban who also died.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Douglas Coe
