Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Edwin Absolon, a flour mill foreman, born in the January quarter of 1870 in Bradwell, Suffolk and baptised on the 9th January 1870 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Bradwell (son of David Urquhart Absolon, 1819-1898 and Jane Sheppard, 1828-1883) and his wife Caroline Sabina Absolon (nee Dancey, married on the 14th February 1901 in St. Luke’s Church, West Holloway, Middlesex), born in the April quarter of 1874 in Primrose Hill, Middlesex (daughter of Thomas Emmanuel Dancey). Edwin Urquhart George, was born on the 1st January 1896 in Kentish Town and was baptised on the 1st March 1896 in St. Martin’s Church, Kentish Town, in March 1901 the family home was at 35, St. Paul’s Road, St. Pancras, Middlesex.
In April 1911 Edwin was a schoolboy and was residing in the family home at Mill House, South Luffenham, Rutland, together with his father, a flour mill foreman, his stepmother and half-blood siblings, Thomas David, a schoolboy, born in the January quarter of 1902 in Coventry, Warwickshire, Gertrude Caroline, born on the 21st November 1903 and baptised on the 17th January 1904 in St. Mary’s Church Battersea, Surrey and Jack William, born on the 3rd January 1907, the latter two siblings were both born in Battersea.
FAMILY NOTES: Edwin’s father had married Elizabeth Roberts, his mother, in the January quarter of 1895 in the Wandsworth, Surrey district, his parents divorced in the January quarter of 1898.
Edwin’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested in St. Paul’s Churchyard, Middlesex into the Regular Army. Date not known.
Joined. At Place and date not known.
Posted. To Depot Norfolk Regt. Pte. Date not known.
Allotted the Regimental Service number 13863.
Posted. To 8th (Service) Bn. Norfolk Regt. Pte. Date not known.
First entered the theatre of war in France. 2/9/15.
Promoted. To Lance Corporal. Date not known.
Promoted. To Corporal. Date not known.
Promoted. To Acting Sergeant. Date not known.
Killed in action. In the Field. 1/7/16.
Body not recovered. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In the event of his death, Edwin nominated his father, Edwin as his sole legatee.
The War Diary records: 1 July-16 – ASSEMBLY TRENCHES. The Battalion took part in assault on the German trenches North of CARNOY, and South West of MONTAUBAN.
The 7th Battalion THE QUEEN’S ROYAL WEST SURREY REGIMENT of the 55th Brigade were on our Right and the 6th Battalion ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT, of our own Brigade, were on our left.
For detail of Operation Orders giving Administrative arrangements issued prior to July 1st, see Appendix 1. (Attached).
In the early hours of the morning the Battalion was in position in the four assembly trenches, i.e., in their battle position ready for the attack.
5.30am. Teas were brought up from CARNOY and served out in the Assembly trenches.
7.20am. Our artillery commenced the intense bombardment and the enemy’s retaliation on our fourth line Assembly trench became more apparent.
7.27am. A mine and two Russian saps were exploded on our front.
7.27am. The first wave of “C” and “D” Companies deployed from our firing line and laid out in the open about 30 yards in front. This movement was accomplished without loss.
7.30am. The assault commenced. The remainder of the two assaulting Companies left our trenches and moved forward in four successive waves.
MINE TRENCH was reached and crossed by these two Companies with practically no opposition, and without loss on our side. All Germans remaining alive in this trench after our artillery barrage had passed were thoroughly cowed and at once surrendered. “C” Company on our right took about 30 prisoners from the West edge on the Mine craters.
MINE SUPPORT was taken about 7.40am. The wire entanglements in front having been completely demolished by our artillery.
Up to this point the Battalion suffered very few casualties.
BUND SUPPORT was reached and taken at 8.00am where a halt was made.
The two assaulting Companies on leaving BUND SUPPORT came under very heavy enfilade Machine Gun fire from the direction of BRESLAU SUPPORT and BACK TRENCH and suffered heavily, Captain B. P AYRE being killed and Captain J. H. HALL being seriously wounded. By this time the following Officers had been wounded: - Captain and Adjutant H. P. BERNEY-FICKLIN, 2nd Lieutenants J. G. HAMPSON, C. T. BLACKBORN, L. PADFIELD, S. A. WHARTON, G. R. IRONMONGER and E. MACLEAN (At Duty). There now remained no Officer with the Left leading Company and two subalterns in the Right leading Company, which were reduced to about 90 and 100 respectively.
The Left leading Company under Company Sergeant Major A. F. RAVEN reached our first objective – POMMIERS TRENCH – and took it about 10.30am. A portion of the Right leading Company also got into POMMIERS TRENCH near the East side of THE LOOP at the same time, but the remainder of this Company was held up by Machine Gun fire and a strong point at the junctions of BOSCHE TRENCH and BACK TRENCH with MINE ALLEY.
After this Company had been reinforced by a platoon from the Support Company under 2nd Lieutenant G. E. MIALL-SMITH, and the Battalion Bombers under Sergeant H. H. WEST had also been sent up to this point, this strong point fell and the garrison of about 150 Germans and 2 Officers of a Bavarian Regiment surrendered, and right leading Company was then able to push forward in to the East portion of POMMIERS TRENCH which up to then had not been taken. At this point in the attack “A” Company which had been in Reserve and had advanced from the assembly trenches in artillery formation, at 7.45am and had been consolidating MINE SUPPORT, now advanced to BUND SUPPORT and commenced the consolidation of this trench; at the same time, “B” the Support Company advanced with three platoons (1 already having been sent to reinforce “C”) to POMMIERS TRENCH.
3.00pm. “D” Company had now taken THE LOOP and both assaulting Companies advanced to take the MONTAUBAN ALLEY line – in the final objective of the Battalion.
Owing to Machine Guns firing from this line and from North West of MONTAUBAN, “D” Company on the left suffered heavy casualties, and “C” Company led by 2nd Lieutenant J. H. ATTENBOROUGH made repeated attempts to get into MONTAUBAN ALLEY, but did not succeed until a bombing party, under 2nd Lieutenant L. A. GUNDRY-WHITE gained an entrance by way of LOOP TRENCH on the left.
Unfortunately, just before this had been affected, 2nd Lieutenant J. H. ATTENBOROUGH with Company Sergeant Major J. COE had both been killed in the attempt to get into this trench.
5.48pm. The MONTAUBAN ALLEY line was taken and the Battalion was in touch with the 7th QUEEN’S ROYAL WEST SURREY REGIMENT on our right and the 6th ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT on our left.
6.00pm. The whole of “B” Company having been used to support “C” and “D” Companies who were now reduced to respectively, 70 and 80 Other Ranks and 1 Officer, the work of consolidation of MONTAUBAN ALLEY was commenced at once and patrols were sent forward to reconnoitre along CATERPILLAR TRENCH and EAST TRENCH.
The Reserve Company, whom in the meanwhile had advanced and consolidated the POMMIERS TRENCH and THE LOOP, were now brought up and sent forward to take up the advanced post known as the GREEN LINE.
The Green line was taken up and the strong points commenced at about 8.00pm and patrols were sent forward in the direction of CATERPILLAR WOOD.
8.00pm. From now onwards the enemy commenced a heavy and continuous bombardment with 5.9 and a few 77mm shells on the West end of MONTAUBAN ALLEY held by the Battalion, generally in the vicinity of the junction of LOOP TRENCH and MONTAUBAN ALLEY, a few shells falling in the LOOP itself, but practically none in rear.
Our casualties for the days fighting were: -
Officers. Killed 2. Died of Wounds 1. Wounded 8 including 2 at Duty. These being 2nd Lieutenant S. N. COZENS-HARDY (who was wounded just outside Battalion Headquarters, which were at the South West end of THE LOOP, where they had been moved up to as soon as the MONTAUBAN ALLEY line had been reached) and 2nd Lieutenant E. MACLEAN.
Other Ranks. Killed 102. Wounded 219. Missing 13.
Total casualties: - Officers 11. Other Ranks 334.
On Friday 21st, July 1916, The Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury published the following article on page 2, under the heading. – SOUTH LUFFENHAM. – Lance-sergt. Edwin Absolon, of the Norfolk’s (eldest son of Mr. E. Absolon, foreman at Luffenham flour mills), has been killed in action on the western front.
On the 11th June 1919, Edwin’s father Edwin, of South Luffenham, Stamford, Lincolnshire was awarded a weekly Army Dependant’s Pension of five shillings, commensurate on the 6th November 1918.
A biography reproduced from the 1920 publication, Rutland & the Great War, compiled by G. Phillips records the following:
Before joining up voluntarily in Lord Kitchener’s Army on the 15th September 1914, he was in the employ of Messrs. Pontiflex and Co., Shoe Lane, E.C., as clerk, having come out on top of the list of L.C. C. School scholarships, and he was educating himself for a draughtsman in the Higher Technical School.
He enlisted with the 10th Norfolk’s, being afterwards transferred to the 8th Battalion, and went out to France on July 20th 1915. He fought in the first Battle of the Somme, and was killed by a machine gun bullet which struck him in the head at on July 1st 1916, at Pommiers Redoubt, Carnoy near Bray-sur-Somme. He is buried at Carnoy.
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