Private 202530, 1/5th Bn., North Staffs
Edward was born in Lichfield where his dad ran the Lord Rodney Inn. He was first employed as a Gentleman’s servant before joining Dawes Bros at the Old Brewery, Lichfield as a traveller. At the time of the 1911 census he was boarding with the Lawrence family presumably because the son, William Lawrence, also worked for the brewery.
Two weeks later though he married Edith Mary Kent at Armitage on the 17th April 1911. They moved to Leomansley Villas, Lichfield, which had been built in 1903.
Edward attested on 7th December 1915 and was put in the Army reserve and given the Regimental number 6399. When the time came for his actual call up though his employer applied to the Tribunal for an exemption on 8th May 1916 on the grounds that too many people had already been called up and he was needed to keep the brewery going. The response from the military representative to the Tribunal was “I cannot assent to this application on the grounds that the national interest will not be served by his remaining in civil employment”. The Tribunal allowed a temporary exemption until 22nd July 1916 on the condition that Edward joined the Lichfield Voluntary Training Corps if physically able and business claims allow. (I would have thought that if he wasn’t physically capable of joining the Training Corps he wasn’t physically capable of joining the Army).
Edward was posted to 1/5 Bn. North Staffs on 26th July 1916. His training period lasted until November when he was appointed to D Company and he embarked for France on 18th November 1916. For some reason he was given a new regimental number on 5th December 1916 – 202330. From this point on his army records get quite confused and contradictory and probably because of the two numbers.
One document simply states:
- 11-1-17 Killed in action
- 14-3-17 Missing
- 28-6-17 Prisoner of war
A separate document states that his death was presumed 14th March 1917 with 11th January 1917 crossed out which was presumably the date he was posted missing. His widow, Edith, received a pension of 13s 9d per week with effect from 24th December 1917 and the document for that specifically put wife instead of widow. There is no indication elsewhere that he was a prisoner, and it is likely that that document refers to an unrelated Bennett. Edward is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.