EDMONDS, Edwin George
| Service Number: | 2273 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2273, 22nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2273, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne |
Wounded at Pozieres and again at Ypres
2273 PTE E.G. EDMONDS. 22 BN. A.I.F.
Wounded at Pozieres and again at Ypres.
Edwin George Edmonds, born in Ballarat, Victoria, was the son of Frederick Edmonds (1854-1931) and Emily Stevens (1860-1902).
Edmonds enlisted in Melbourne on 17 July 1915, at the age of 18, leaving his job as a carpenter. His service number was 2273. He had spent four years with the Senior Cadets while at school, providing him with some military experience before joining the 4th Reinforcements of the 22nd Battalion. The Australian War Memorial holds a group portrait of these men. The 4th Reinforcements embarked from Melbourne on 27 September 1915 aboard HMAT A20 Hororata.
He was taken on strength with the 22nd Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt, on 8 January 1916, and proceeded to Marseilles, France with the Battalion on 19 March 1916. On 4 April, he was admitted to hospital with mumps and discharged on 25 April 1916.
In July, the Battalion moved into the Somme, where it would play a role in the attack on Pozieres.
Edmonds’ service records show that he was wounded in action on 5 August 1916. This was the day the Battalion attacked the O.G.1 and O.G.2 trenches. Even before leaving their positions, the Battalion had suffered 20% casualties from German shelling, which also disrupted their attack at 9:31 p.m. As he suffered a gunshot wound rather than a shrapnel wound, it is likely that Edmonds was injured during the assault on the trenches.
On 6 August 1916, he was admitted to the 3rd Stationary Hospital with gunshot wounds to his left thigh and arm. The week of operations at Pozieres left the 22nd Battalion decimated, with the loss of thirty-three officers and 763 men.
Invalided to England aboard the Hospital Ship Marama, Edmonds spent the next 12 months passing through various hospitals as he recovered from his injuries. He rejoined the Battalion on 11 September 1917. The Battalion, out of the line at Campagne, began marching towards the Ypres battlefields the next day. On 20 September, the Battalion was in reserve during the Battle of Menin Road. The following night, 21/22 September, the Battalion relieved two battalions of the 7th Brigade near Hannebeke Wood, enduring heavy and continuous shelling. Edmonds’ service record indicates that during this action, he suffered a second wound, this time from a shell fragment to his thorax. He had only been back with the Battalion for ten days.
He was again evacuated to England. This time, his wounds were severe enough for him to be repatriated to Australia aboard the Kanowna on 16 December 1917. He disembarked at Melbourne on 13 February 1918 and was discharged from the A.I.F. on 20 June 1918.
After returning from the war, Edmonds married Lily Wallace (1904-1980) in 1924. They had one child and eventually moved to New South Wales.
He passed away in Orange, NSW, on 3 July 1974, aged 78.
He is remembered in the Ballarat Avenue of Honour, Tree number 1558.
Submitted 14 September 2024 by Tim Barnett