Name
Thomas Edens
1889
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
01/11/1914
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
2611
Irish Guards
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star (with Clasp & Roses), British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 11. Belgium
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
All Saints Church Memorial, St Paul's Walden, Whitwell Village Memorial
Pre War
Thomas Edens was born in 1889 in Ballinderry, County Antrim, Ireland, the son of Edward and Eliza Ann Edens.
In 1901 the family consisting of parents, Samuel (born 18 ), Thomas H, Martha (born 1891), Sanderson (born 1893), Charles (born 1895), John (born 1897) and Eliza Ann (born 189) were living at 8 Knockmore, Lissue, County Antrim, Ireland where his father's occupation was given as Farmer and Tailor. On the 1911 Census his parents were living in Lurgil, Lisburn, Antrim with Martha, John and Eliza Ann.
No Service record was found for Thomas (Guards Division keep their Service Records separate from Regular Army Records). He enlisted in Belfast, County Antrim and served with the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards on 5 Jun 1906, and by the 1911 Census he was a Private / Guardsman serving with the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards and living at Chelsea Barracks, London. He had worked as a Waiter prior to enlistment.
Although he did not marry Florence Keighery (or Barber) she as regarded as his 'unmarried wife' on pension records, with whom he had two children, Barbara Lilian, born (9 Oct 1913) and Florence Elizabeth (born 4 Jan 1915), and later lived at St Paul's Walden, Whitwell.
Wartime Service
As a serving soldier in the Regular Army he was sent to France almost immediately on the outbreak of war, and arrived in France on 13 Aug 1914 and were deployed with the rest of B E F to the vicinity of Mons. The German advance arrived at Mons on 23 Aug 1914 and fighting spread along the British Lines on the canal to include 2nd Division on the right of the line. The following day, due to French Army withdrawals the retreat from Mons began to end with the Battle of the Marne (7 -10 Sep 1914) where the German Advance was stemmed.
At the Battle of the Aisne (12-15 Sep 1914) the Germans were forced into Retreat with the B E F attempting to turn the Flank of the German Army until the Guards reached to area of Ypres and were involved in the 1st Battle of Ypres (19 Oct -22 Nov 1914). The 1st Battalion took heavy casualties on 1 Nov 1914 while defending the line at Klein Zillebeke. Thomas was one of these being reported killed in action on 1st Nov 1914.
His remains were not recovered and his name is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres Belgium.
Additional Information
Pension records state that Florence was his 'unmarried wife'. She received a war gratuity of £5 and pay owing of £2 15s 7d and also received a pension of 18s 6d a week for herself and her two children.
N.B. the births of the two children, Barbara and Florence were registered in the surname of Edens with the mother's maiden name being given as Barber. On the 1939 Register Florence Keighery was living at Flint Cottages, St Paul's Walden with William Barber.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild, www.census.nationalarchives.ie,
