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Old 10-08-15, 08:44
Jill Jill is offline
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Default (71) Edward Anscombe Everest, Driver 136694, 72nd Field Company Royal Engineers

71st of the Old Boys of St Wilfrid’s School, Haywards Heath to lose his life in WW1.

Edward was born in Haywards Heath on the 19th August 1882 to Edward and Mary Everest, the second of their eight children. In 1891, 1901 and 1911 they lived at 2 at John’s Cottages in Haywards Heath. By 1911 Edward was a was a bricklayer like his father, still living with his parents but by the time he enlisted in the Army he was a carman for the Co-op.

Edward had his army medical in Brighton on 25 Oct 1915; he was 5’ 5” tall, with a 39” chest and in good health, and joined the Royal Engineers as a Driver. He embarked from Devonport on 12 May 1916 and arrived at Basra on 9th June 1916. On August 26th that year he was admitted to hospital, being discharged back to his unit on 7th October, but was back in hospital on 16th December and invalided to India on 26th January 1917. At Bangalore he joined the British Details Depot, sailing back to Basra from Bombay in December 1917, and joining the 72nd Field Company Royal Engineers. On the 10th October 1918 he became dangerously ill with pneumonia and died in Hamadan (in modern Iran) on 12 Oct 1918. Edward was buried at Teheran War Cemetery, grave IV. G. 8.


MID SUSSEX TIMES, 5 NOV 1918
A SOLDIER’S DEATH
Mr and Mrs Edward Everest, of St John’s Road, received the sad news last week that their eldest son. Driver Edward Anscombe Everest, Royal Engineers, died on October 19th [sic] from pneumonia. He had served with the Mesopotamia Forces for just over two years, and was looking forward to leave soon. Deceased was 36 years of age and before joining up was employed by the Co-operative Stores, Haywards Heath.


It took the army over a year to return his possessions to his mother; she signed a receipt on 29th October 1919 for his possessions: a cap badge, disc, and wallet containing letters and photographs. In January 1920 the army wanted to know the names ages and addresses of his parents and siblings in order to issue a commemorative plaque and scroll in his memory, his mother had to fill in a form and get it witnessed by a Justice of the Peace.

His mother was sent his accumulated pay, £42 15s 8d, in several payments, it took until 9th March 1921 for the final amount to arrive. A War Gratuity of £17 was paid 13th October 1919.
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