Prescot Roll of Honour

Extract from the Prescot Reporter

Service Details

William Edwards was born in Prescot on 6th September 1896. His number (1898) was issued in August 1914, and he went to France with his battalion on 13th February 1915.

Although the Battle of the Somme had commenced on 1st July 1916, the battalion, part of 55th Division, was only engaged with active patrolling and sniping. On 22nd July, they received orders to move south and on the 25th, they arrived at billets inn Ville-sous-Corbie.

On 8th August, the battalion was ordered to capture the village of Guillemont, which had defied all previous attempts at capture and was a thorn in the side of the British forces. The attack commenced at 4.20 a.m. and initially all objectives were taken despite strong resistance. By the end of the day, the Railway Station and the front line trenches in front of the village were in allied hands. Orders were then received to be ready to continue the attack the following morning.

Zero hour was again at 4.20 a.m. and the initial assault was met with withering machine gun fire from the German defenders, resulting in the troops falling back to their starting points. This also resulted in the companies being heavily mixed up and it was noon before reorganisation was complete. After this, the battalion remained near Trones Wood until the 10th, clearing the dead of the previous two days of battle and consolidating the ground won at such a heavy cost. On the evening of the 10th, they were withdrawn to bivouac and then on the 12th returned to the line at Maltz Horn Farm.

On the 13th, 'D' Company of the battalion worked in partnership with French units to clear German forces from an area known as Cochrane Alley, specifically to take an isolated German trench. Unfortunately, the French failed to take their objectives and the British attack came under withering German machine gun fire, which drove the men back. The battalion was withdrawn on the 15th, this time to billets at Meulte. In three days of fighting they had lost 3 officers and 80 other ranks - slight losses in comparison to other units at that time.

They remained out of the line until 5th September when they were sent to occupy support trenches in front of Delville Wood. This was a notoriously 'unhealthy' place to be at that time and the battalion was kept busy digging strong points and communications trenches, usually under heavy enemy artillery fire.

Corporal Edwards was Killed in Action on 7th September, probably as a result of German artillery. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial. He was one of three Prescot men serving with the battalion who were killed that day, Sergeant John Valentine and Private Edward Waine being the others.

The Battalion War Diary for the period is reproduced below

Sept 5

Moved up and relieved 72nd Inf Bde in front of DELVILLE WOOD.
Bde dispositions. Front line 1/5 Loyal North Lancs Regt on Right, 1/5 KO Royal Lancs on Left, 1/5 South Lancs in support in check line S23a, 1/10 Liverpool Regt in reserve in front of MONTAUBAN. 1/5 South Lancs Regt relieved 8th West Kent Regt. Relief complete 7pm.

Sept 6

Check line cleaned and improved and front line visible

Sept 7

Btn out at night digging Strong Points 300' in advance of front line trenches held by 1/5 Loyal North Lancs Regt. Four Strong Points dug and Communication Trench from original front line to Right Strong Point. Casualties 4 Officers 40 O Ranks."

The Liverpool Daily Post of 18th October 1916 (below) listed men of the Battalion who had now been reported as killed, including Cpl Edwards, whose rank was reported as Lance-Sergeant

William Edwards' Medal Index Card

William Edwards inscription on the Thiepval Memorial
Picture taken Monday 21st February 2011

Pte Edwards listing in the Register of Soldiers Efects