Edwards, William Harry

William Harry Edwards was born in Workington, England, on 4 November 1895. He was the son of Joseph and Agnes Edwards.

Edwards immigrated to Canada in 1911. When he enlisted in the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Ontario) at Valcartier, Quebec, on 31 August 1914, he stated that his trade was “operator”. In October 1914, he was shipped to England aboard the Laurentic as a member of the First Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Edwards was killed in action in the vicinity of Bois-Grenier, France, on 13 March 1915, during the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle. He was the only member of his battalion to be killed that day.

The Battle of Neuve-Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) was the first battle in which the 1st Canadian Division fought during the war. As an untried unit, the division was used to carry out a diversionary attack while the principal attack was launched by British and Indian units to its right. For three days, the men of the 1st Canadian Division successfully stopped the Germans from counterattacking at, or sending reinforcements to, the area being attacked by keeping up a steady pressure on the German line directly in front of them with small arms and artillery fire.

William Harry Edwards is buried in Y Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France.