Person

Walter Samuel Edmed was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA in 1891 to Samuel Edmed and Catherine Edmed. His father, who had emigrated to the USA in 1888, died in October 1891 and his mother sailed from New York on the Alaska with her infant son in order to return home to South Shields. As Walter’s brother, Robert, was born in South Shields, in 1892, it seems that Catherine was pregnant at the time of her husband’s death. The 1901 census shows Walter living with his grandparents but his mother and brother are not present. In South Shields, Catherine remarried to a man called John Ferguson with whom she had seven further children.

The family lived at 93 Hedley Street, South Shields and there Walter worked as a house painter until the Great War began.

He travelled to Bishop Auckland where he signed up with the army, joining the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light infantry (DLI), which was ordered to begin training ready for deployment to the front. The training completed, Walter and the rest of 6 DLI left Newcastle 19 April 1915 heading for the France. Upon arrival Walter’s battalion was hastily deployed to the raging battle at Ypres, where the German army was pressing for a breakthrough. Walter would have been thrown in at the deep end and would have had to endure heavy artillery bombardment. Gas was also used for the first time at Ypres.

Then the 6 DLI along with the rest of the battalions in the 50th Division, were moved to the Somme where more examples of hell on earth awaited. One such example occurred when 6 DLI attacked the German fortified mound called the Butte de Warlencourt; bad weather made advancing up the slopes of the Butte impossible and over 100 soldiers of the 6th were gunned down, stuck in the mud. Yet Walter had survived and he was promoted to lance corporal.

Then he and the rest of the division were moved to a new battlefield at Arras, here the British were organising a new offensive against the Germans who had retreated to the Hindenburg line. As part of the 50th Battalion he would have been deployed to the southern end of the battlefield in order to attack the defensive positions near the villages along the banks of the Cojeul River. It was here, on the 14 April 1917, that Walter was killed. This could have occurred when 6 DLI took the high ground around the village of Heninel or when attacking the Village of Wancourt.

For his service in the conflict he received the Victory Medal, British War Medal, and 1915 Star. He is remembered for his sacrifice at the Arras memorial in France.

Civil Parish: South Shields

Birth date: 13-May-1891

Death date: 14-Apr-1917

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 93 Hedley Street, South Shields

Family: Father: Samuel Edmed
Step-Father: John Ferguson
Mother: Catherine A. Ferguson (formerly Edmed, nee Woodcock)
Brother: Robert Edmed
Uncle: Joe Woodcock
Step-Brothers: William Ferguson, John Ferguson, Thomas Ferguson
Step-Sisters: Jane Ann Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, Elsie Ferguson

Military service:

Private promoted to Lance Corporal
Enlisted: Bishop Auckland
Disembarked: France, 19 April 1915

Medal(s): 1915 Star
Victory Medal
British War Medal

Memorial(s): Arras Memorial Bay 8
Queen Street Methodist Church, South Shields (now gone)
DLI Book of Remembrance, Durham Cathedral

Gender: Male

Contributed by Daniel Hyatt