Pte
Edward Burrough
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 13/02/1887 |
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Place of birth: Honiton, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Police Constable |
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Religion: Not stated |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 75091 |
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Enlistment date: 16/11/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 29th Bn. (Vancouver) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 19/04/1916 |
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Place of death: Bus House Siding, St Elooi Voormezele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 29 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: Panel 28 O |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Edward was born in 1887 at Honiton, Devon, England. He was the only son of Edward Burrough, landlord of the Star Hotel in New Street, Honiton, and his second wife Ellen. His father died on March 9th 1911. A little later Edward emigrated to western Canada. His ship sailed from Liverpool on 15 September 1911. His mother Ellen became a lodger at the Red House, High Street Honiton which is now known as 142 High Street, Honiton. Edward was in the Provincial Police in Vancouver and enlisted in November 1914. He had spent four years in the Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry and was an active Militia member in Canada. Edward was take on by the 29th Battalion (Vancouver).
At St. Eloi, to the south of Ypres, stands The Mound, a spoil heap left behind by a brickworks. The hillock was in German hands and a thorn in the side of the British high command. On 27 March 1916, six deep mines reduced The Mound to a series of craters.
After a week of bloody fighting, the craters were in British hands. In early April the brand new 2nd Canadian Division relieved the British troops. It would see action for the first time.
The positions were rudimentary, the trenches shallow and flooded. The dead and wounded lay everywhere, as it was too dangerous to evacuate them. The deep mire obstructed every attempt to relocate equipment and anyone who fell into a shell hole disappeared into the stinking mud. Snipers and artillery spotters punished every move.
On 6 April the Germans launched a counteroffensive. In shelling that lasted for several hours, they cleared the Canadians out of the craters. The terrain gained was lost once more. In the days after the Battle, the 29th Battalion rotated in and out the frontline between Voormezele and St Elooi, where they were constantly pinned down by German shelling.
Edward was killed in action on 19 April 1916. The 29-year-old was buried outside a trench at Bus House, near St. Eloi. His remains weren’t identified and Edward is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial. Edward is also remembered on his father’s headstone in Luppitt churchyard, a small village 6 miles from the town of Honiton and the birthplace of his father.
At St. Eloi, to the south of Ypres, stands The Mound, a spoil heap left behind by a brickworks. The hillock was in German hands and a thorn in the side of the British high command. On 27 March 1916, six deep mines reduced The Mound to a series of craters.
After a week of bloody fighting, the craters were in British hands. In early April the brand new 2nd Canadian Division relieved the British troops. It would see action for the first time.
The positions were rudimentary, the trenches shallow and flooded. The dead and wounded lay everywhere, as it was too dangerous to evacuate them. The deep mire obstructed every attempt to relocate equipment and anyone who fell into a shell hole disappeared into the stinking mud. Snipers and artillery spotters punished every move.
On 6 April the Germans launched a counteroffensive. In shelling that lasted for several hours, they cleared the Canadians out of the craters. The terrain gained was lost once more. In the days after the Battle, the 29th Battalion rotated in and out the frontline between Voormezele and St Elooi, where they were constantly pinned down by German shelling.
Edward was killed in action on 19 April 1916. The 29-year-old was buried outside a trench at Bus House, near St. Eloi. His remains weren’t identified and Edward is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial. Edward is also remembered on his father’s headstone in Luppitt churchyard, a small village 6 miles from the town of Honiton and the birthplace of his father.
Sources 7
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Cook T., Shock Troops: Canadians fighting the Great War 1917-1918. Volume II. (Toronto, Penguin Canada, 2008) 325-329. Sources used |
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Edmonds J.E., History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence: Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916. (London, Imperial War Museum, 1993), 184-193. Sources used |
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Margaret Lewis, Curator Allhallows Museum, personal communication, 28 December 2022. Sources used |
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC) RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 1314 - 25). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War diaries: 29th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4936, Microfilm reel number: T-10740--T-10741, File number: 427). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, 1992-93/314; Volume Number: 160). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registry: Commonwealth War Graves (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC): RG150, 1992-1993/314, Box 39-244; Box: 52). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/922563 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=6685f9e5-aafd-4916-9509-04ab81258691 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5495525 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/922563 |