Capt John Stanley Edwards (MC)

• Age: 25
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Wednesday 24th April 1918
• Commemorated at: Haringhe Mil Cem
  Panel Ref: III.E.36

John Stanley was born on 15th June 1892 in Liverpool, the son of Stanley Edwards and his wife Emma Dorothy (nee Holt). He was baptised on 17th July 1892 in St. Michael in the Hamlet Church, his parents' residence St. Michael's Road and his father's occupation leather factor.

At the time of the 1891 Census, Stanley Edwards, 27 years of age and a leather factor born in Winchester, was visiting the Holt family at 23 Mersey Road, Garston, Liverpool. One of the daughters of the family, Emma, was then 20, and living on her own means. The Holt family was connected to the well-known Alfred Holt, Lamport & Holt, and Blue Funnel shipping lines.

Stanley and Emma would marry a few months later in St. Matthew with St. James' Church, in Mossley Hill.

They had two children. Another son, Henry Holt, was born in June 1894.

His father died suddenly two months later, in August 1894, at the age of 30. He died at The Lodge, Aigburth (the residence of his uncle, William H. Edwards, also a hide/leather merchant).

John was two years old when his father died.

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 37 Ullett Road, Liverpool. His mother is a 30 year old widow living with her two children and three servants. John Stanley is 8 years of age and his brother Henry Holt Edwards is 6 years of age. 

John was educated at Hinwick House School, Wellingborough before entering Winchester College in 1906 remaining at the College until 1909. 

John is not found at the home address on the 1911 Census. His mother, a 40 year old widow living on private means, is living at Birchfield, Greenbank Drive, Liverpool with her son Henry a 16 year old scholar. Also declared in the household are two servants.  

He was in business in South America when war was declared. John has not been found on any outgoing or incoming passenger lists, perhaps because he travelled on a Holt ship and not as a paying passenger.

He returned to the UK and obtainied a commission in December 1914 into the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry. He served in France from January 1916 and remained with the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry until 24th September 1917 when along with 15 fellow officers and 290 men he was drafted into the 18th Battalion of K.LR. The amalgamated battalion officially becomes the 18th (Lancashire Hussars) Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment). Despite the merger, in which two hundred ORs and sixteen Officers from the Hussars joined the 18th Battalion, Captain Edwards' death is still listed in the Lancashire Hussars section of ‘Officers who died in the Great War’, and by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

He was mentioned in Despatches in November 1917.

On 21st March the Battalion was in the Battle Zone at Vaux, and moved forward to Steen Wood upon receiving the order the order’ Man Battle Stations ‘. Captain Edward’s was in command of No. 1 Company and on the morning of 22nd March, was sent to reinforce the 2nd Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers at Etreillers, until it withdrew from the battle zone later in the day. The general withdrawal to Ham and beyond then commenced, and on the 23rd Edwards with a small party of men was sent along the Ham to Nesle road where he and his men engaged the enemy throughout the morning. Later in the day, he made contact with the 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment and he and his party came under the command of that unit for a time.

On 24th March, as the Brigade withdrew towards the River Somme, Captain Edward’s led a party of thirty Other Ranks, once more, to reinforce the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers, on the Banks of the Canal Du Nord at Moyencourt. They withdrew from this position the following day and then took part in the general retreat and withdrawal, until the end of the month. On 30th March, the remnants of the Battalion, now known as the 89th Composite Battalion, entrained for the coast and a rest in the area of St Valery sur Somme.

He was awarded the Military Cross for his conduct in action during the period 21st to 30th March 1918. His award was published in the Supplement to the London Gazette of 26th July 1918, the Citation stating:

T./Lt. (A./Capt.) John Stanley Edwards,. Lancashire Fusiliers

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the withdrawal of a line, when he reorganised a party of some 200 men of all regiments in a sunken road and made a splendid resistance to the enemy's advance, fighting his way back step by step, and helping thereby to save our guns and men from capture. Later, he led two companies in a counter-attack at a critical moment, and by his courage, leadership, and fine example delayed the advance of the enemy for twenty four hours.
(London Gazette 23rd July 1918)

****

Correction: (London Gazette 16th Sept 1918)

T/Lt. (A/Capt.) John Stanley Edwards, M.C., Lanc. Hrs., atcd. L'pool R.
(M.C. gazetted 26th July, 1918.)

After the Composite Battalion had reorganised into its constitute units, on the 05th April 1918, the 18th Battalion entrained for the Ypres Salient, and after further action against the enemy, on 21st April, it moved to St Lawrence Camp at Bussenboom and rejoined the 30th Division. The following day, the Germans fired some high velocity shells into the camp, and Captain Edwards was hit and severely wounded.

According to the Battalion War Diary, he died of his wounds the following day, the 23rd April 1918. However the date in the Diary must be a mistake as ‘Officers that Died in the Great War ‘, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who are usually the most reliable source, both list his death from wounds as being on 24th April. War Diaries were often written at a later date in any case, and it is most likely that as John would have died at a medical post away from the Battalion, his date of death must have been confused with the date his Military Cross was announced to the Battalion. This was the 23rd April and it is unlikely to have been confused with any other date, as awards to twelve others were made at the same time.

Captain Edwards was 25 years of age and now rests at Haringhe Military Cemetery, near Poperinghe, Belgium, in Plot III, Row E, Grave 36.

Haringhe known as Bandaghem, like Dozinghem and Mendinghem, were the popular names given by the troops to groups of casualty clearing stations posted to this area during the First World War. The cemetery site was chosen in July 1917 for the 62nd and 63rd Casualty Clearing Stations and burials from these and other hospitals (notably the 36th Casualty Clearing Station in 1918) continued until October 1918. The cemetery contains 772 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There is a separate plot of 39 German war graves, but four plots (X, XI, XII and XIII) of French graves were removed to other burial grounds after the war. There are also five Second World War burials in the cemetery, three of which are unidentified. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

His death was announced in the Liverpool Echo on 27th April 1918:

"April 24, of wounds received in action, aged 25 years, Captain J. S. Edwards, Yeomanry, attached to K.L.R., elder son of the late Stanley and Mrs. Edwards, Crofton Hospital, Aigburth, Liverpool."

Crofton House, in Sudley Road, Aigburth, belonged to the Holt family and was used as an auxiliary hospital during the war.
 
Probate in the amount of £585-13s-11d and giving John's address as Birchfield, Greenbank Drive, was granted to his mother Dorothy. His place of death is given as No.62 C.C.S.

His mother died in 1932 aged 61.

Grateful thanks are extended to Winchester College for permission to use the photograph of John Stanley.