FORD, Edward Ernest
| Service Number: | 372 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 March 1916, An original member of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Richmond, Tasmania, Australia , 31 July 1879 |
| Home Town: | Triabunna, Glamorgan/Spring Bay, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Triabunna State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Shopkeeper |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 3 January 1917, aged 37 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres Plot IV, Row C, Grave No. 6. THOUGH LOST TO SIGHT TO MEMORY DEAR |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Spring Bay District War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 372, 40th Infantry Battalion, An original member of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 372, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 372, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart |
Help us honour Edward Ernest Ford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Edward Ernest Ford was born in Tasmania during 1879. His father died in what was called the Spring Bay boating disaster during 1896 when Edward was only seventeen years of age. Six prominent residents of Triabunna drowned in Spring Bay when their boat sank during a storm.
The next year, 1897, it was reported in the Hobart newspapers that at a Triabunna Court of Petty Sessions, Edward E. Ford was refused a driver's license, the Bench (Messrs. F. Mace and S. Salmon, Js. P.) not considering the applicant had sufficient knowledge, if any, to handle four horses. The applicant pointed out he only wished to drive two, but no conditional license could be granted under the Act, hence the refusal.
Edward Ernest Ford was known as ‘Teddy’ Ford and was reported in the newspaper to have been a “keen sportsman, and indulged in all manly sports, such as cricket, football, cycling, etc., being very popular.” For some time, he served on the Spring Bay Council.
Prior to enlisting he ran a store at Levendale and his business of general storekeeper extended as one of the largest businesses on the East Coast, which also embraced the Triabunna, Buckland, and Runnymede districts, where he had established stores.
Teddy Ford’s wife died during childbirth in 1905. He enlisted at the age of 35.
He died on near Houplines in France when the Germans heavily bombarded a section of trench the 40th Battalion was holding. His death and burial were described in his Red Cross file by the Battalion Adjutant Captain F.C. Green, who also wrote the Battalion history.
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