Virtual
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Australia

From François Berthout

Cpl 421A Edward Cogan (Ned) Kidman
3rd Machine Gun Battalion
 
The Somme, now silent and peaceful, dotted with fields in which poppies grow under the rays of the sun, on these fields in which I walk with respect, fought and fell 1,300,000 men, a whole generation of men who came from very far on these soils of France, a country they did not know or little and for which they did so much, they fought in France as if this country were their own country, France, the Somme will never forget,France, the Somme will be forever grateful and it is with the deepest respect that I will always honor their memory and that I will walk between the rows of their graves to tell them that they are not and will never be forgotten, I would keep the history of these men alive so that they could forever live by our side, they were young and they will be forever on these soils of France, on the soils of a friendly country that will take care of these men like our sons and over whom I would watch forever as if they were mothers brothers, my fathers, and will always be, in my heart, my boys of the Somme.

Today, it is with all my heart that I would like to honor with gratitude the memory of one of these men who fought and paid the supreme sacrifice by giving his life for us, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Corporal number 421A Edward Cogan (Ned) Kidman who fought in the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Machine Gun Company 11 of the Australian Machine Gun Corps and who was killed in action 103 years ago, on April 15, 1918 at the age of 29 on the Somme front.
Edward Cogan (Ned) Kidman was born on 24 September 1888 at Cottage Creek, Cooma, New South Wales and was the fourth child born to Samuel Kidman and Ann Cogan who had 11 children. In 1908 the family moved from Cooma to Anduramba near Crows Nest.After Samuel death in 1911 both Ned and his young brother Ernest were the main bread winners for the family while the younger children were still attending school. Ned worked on Eskdale Station for Ernest Lord for a time and hauled logs and sawn timber for a number of sawmills in the Crows Nest district.

Ned first enlisted in the AIF on the 23 July 1915 in Brisbane and joined the 5th Battalion at Enoggera. He spend many weeks in hospital in Toowomba with complication from acute appendicitus and was deemed medically unfit and was discharged on 18 November 1915.

Determined to serve and do his duty, Edward again enlisted in the AIF on 28 June 1916 in Toowoomba, Queensland. He was assigned to the 5/11 Machine Gunners and embarked with his unit from melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A38 Ulysses on October 25, 1916 and sailed for Plymouth, England, where he arrived on December 28, 1916 and a few days later,on January 3, 1917, he was sent to Grantham, Lincolnshire, England then to Perham Downs Camp, located north of Salisbury, between Tidworth and Ludgershall on the northern edge of the Salisbury Plain.A month later, on February 19, 1917, it would appear that Edward was absent without leave and received a sentence of six hours of detention by Captain Sexton before returning to Perham Downs Camp to complete his training and then a month later, on March 1, 1917 , he embarked with his unit from Folkestone, England and sailed for France where he was disembarked the next day,on March 2 and sent to the Machine Gun Base Depot at Camiers, Pas-De-Calais and joined the Machine Gun Company 11 then marched to join the battlefields of the Somme.
on July 15, 1917, in the Somme, Edward received a sentence from Captain A.W.Taylor for two days in Field Prison for refusing to obey a company order in that he was absent from tattoo Roll call but despite this small incident, Edward fought with great courage and for his bravery on the field, he was, on November 3, 1917, promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and a few days before his death, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal on April 10, 1918.

Unfortunately, it was five days later, in the Somme, that Eward met his fate. On April 15, 1918 while he was in a cook house sitting over the fire at Sailly-Le-Sec, Somme,a German shell fell on the building and Edward, as well as four of his comrades were instantly killed, he was 29 years old.

Today, Corporal Edward Cogan (Ned) Kidman rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at the Bonnay Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "He nobly answered duty's call my brave soldier son".
Edward, you who were young and who had your life ahead of you, for Australia, and for France you gave your youth and your courage in the midst of the darkest hours of history, you served with dedication and loyalty , with bravery on the battlefields and the trenches in which you gave your today and your life and it is from the bottom of my heart that I would like to express my gratitude to you but also the love I feel for Australia and To whom France, the Somme will be eternally grateful through the solid and respectful friendship that unites our two countries, a friendship that was born over a hundred years ago, in the trenches and in the mud of the battlefields.these young men from australia knew little about france and yet they fought and did so much for us, they brought, on their faces and in their smiles, in the energy of their youth, a new hope, a light in the darkness, they went through the towns and villages of the Somme, they helped the French people in the most beautiful way in the most beautiful spirits of comradeship, of mateship, they were everywhere admired and greeted with love and respect, they were deeply loved , they did not only fight for France but they helped the French people to get up and to stand by their side.Brave among the bravest, respected, they fought with exceptional courage, always in the front line, always under shell fire, they went through the worst battles in the Somme that the Australian army faced with conviction, with determination and courage. , They fought for each meter at the cost of terrible losses at Pozieres, at Mouquet Farm, Flers, Amiens, Gueudecourt, they stopped the Germans at Villers-Bretonneux which is today the symbol of their courage and their sacrifices,the symbol of the courage of a whole generation, of a whole nation which lost so many of its sons in France but who will never be forgotten and who will always be in our greatest care, we will always honor their memory and the history of their lives, the story of their courage and their sacrifices on the battlefields on which they now rest in peace under the shadow of their graves, under the red glow of the poppies which remind us that they gave their blood and their lives for us.We will always be honored to receive Australian families, to bring them where their loved ones fought and fell, I will always give all my heart and devotion to watch over these young men who will always be remembered and cherished with the utmost respect. In us, in our hearts, in our thoughts, they will live forever. Australia and France, united forever, in friendship and Remembrance.Thank you edward,for everything.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them,the flame of remembrance will never cease to shine.

Edward Cogan (Ned) Kidman was born on 24 September 1888 at Cottage Creek, Cooma, New South Wales. He was the fourth child born to Samuel Kidman and Ann Cogan who had 11 children. In 1908 the family moved from Cooma to Anduramba near Crows Nest. After Samuel death in 1911 both Ned and his young brother Ernest were the main bread winners for the family while the younger children were still attending school. Ned worked on Eskdale Station for Ernest Lord for a time and hauled logs and sawn timber for a number of sawmills in the Crows Nest district. 

Ned first enlisted in the AIF on the 23 July 1915 in Brisbane and joined the 5th Battalion at Enoggera. He spend many weeks in hospital in Toowomba with complication from acute appendicitus and was deemed medically unfit and was discharged on 18 November 1915. 

Ned a farmer aged 27 years was 5'9" tall and weighed 150lbs with grey eyes, medium complexion and dark brown hair. He again enlisted in the AIF on 28 June 1916 in Toowoomba. He was assigned to the 5/11 Machine Gunners Company and served in France where he was appointed Lance Corporal in France 3 November 1917. He was promoted to Temporary Corporal a few days before his death. Ned died on the 15 April in Amiens, France aged 29. Ned was killed instantly by an exploding shell. He is buried in Bonnany Communal Extension Cemetery, Amiens, Frances. In his will Ned left all of his property to his brother Ernest Harold Kidman of Yarraman who was his sole executor.