Edward Henry Church

A Lance Corporal with the 1/4th Battalion, Edward died on 28th of February 1917 at the age of 21. 

Edward was born at Blundeston in 1896, a son of William and Mary Ann Church. In 1901 his family lived ‘near Crossways’, Blundeston. In 1911 they lived at Hall Lane, Lowestoft, and Edward was a farm labourer. By 1914 his family lived at Meadow Cottage, Oulton, and later his parents lived at Church Farm, Oulton Road Lowestoft.

Edward enlisted in the Army at Ipswich. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 2452, and was posted to the 1/4th Battalion in France. 

On 26 February 1917 the 1/4th Battalion moved into trenches near Howitzer Wood. On 28 February trench mortars fired on D Company’s positions: one killed six men and another killing one man and wounding another. Edward was killed during these trench mortar attacks.

The 1/4th battalion was renumbered in March 1917 and some of Edward’s records give his number as 200625.  

Edward’s brother Charles served with the Royal Naval Reserve and died in 1917.