Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Basra Memorial | Panel 27. Basra | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.123 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 58B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Beit-ei- Sissa
Family :
Son of Elizabeth Mary Garrad, of 50, Windmill St., Gravesend, Kent, and the late Barry Lappage Garrad.Edward Victor Garrad was born in Gravesend on 27 January 1892 to Barry Lappage Garrad (born 1852 in Hatfield Peveral) and Elizabeth Mary (née Fitzgerald, born 1860 in Lowestoft). In the 1901 Census Edward is listed as living at 3 Upper Castle Cottages, Gravesend with his parents and 2 siblings – older brothers Barry Lappage (born 1882), listed as an Assistant Schoolmaster and Charles Roger (born 1884) who was an Apprentice to a Clothier at a Gentleman’s Outfitters. Barry Garrad senior worked as a Gardener.
Education & Career :
The first school that Edward attended was the Kempthorne Street School, a Higher Grade British school located in Kempthorne Street, Gravesend. This school had been open since at least the early 1880s, as it is listed in the 1882 edition of Kelly’s Directory. Kempthorne Street School closed in 1909, with the pupils transferring to the newly built Cecil Road School.
Continuing his education Edward attended The Gravesend County Day School (now Gravesend Grammar School) from 1905 to 1910. The County Day School had been originally opened in 1893 as a school of science and art, located in Darnley Street close to Gravesend Railway Station. (With the move of Gravesend Grammar School in 1938 to its present site in Milton Road, the original school building is now the Victoria Centre for Adult Education). By the time that Edward attended the County School, the 1902 Education Act had been passed and the school had become a recognised Secondary School. Although still a fee-paying school, there were scholarships available, however it is not known whether Edward was a scholarship pupil. The Headmaster at the time was H F A Wigley, BA, FCS. In the School Admissions Register the family address in 1905 is listed as 50 Windmill Street, Gravesend. In the County School Magazine of July 1908, Edward’s story – A Paper Chase and Its Ending – is included, at that time he was in IIIB.
Charles married Agnes Nellie Colyer in 1902 and lived in Norwood as a House Decorator with 2 children. Edward at 19 is listed as a Science student – he was at this time studying at Kings College, London, where he also became a member of the King’s College London Officers Training Corps. After University Edward was employed at the Head Office in London of the County and Westminster Bank, at the same time he was studying for his BA.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment |
6th (Service) Battalion Formed at Preston in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 38th Brigade in 13th (Western) Division. Moved initially to Tidowrth and then Blackdown in February 1915. 17 June 1915 : sailed from Avonmouth, going to Gallipoli via Mudros. Landed at Anzac Cove, 4 August. January 1916: Evacuated from Gallipoli to Egypt and thence to Mesopotamia. |
| Action : Mesopotamia |
At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.
The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.
The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.
Edward Victor Garrad is remembered at Basra Memorial, Iraq – Panel 27, and the Memorial Books for King’s College and the London School of Economics, also the Masonic Roll of Honour (Mother Lodge – the Royal Colonial Institute No. 3556).
His brother Barry married Cicely Wilson-Taylor in 1915 and served as a Lieutenant in charge of anti-aircraft at Waltham Abbey. Father Barry Garrad died later in 1916, he was buried on 7 December 1916.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Royal Colonial Institute No. 3556 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th March 1915 | 9th June 1915 | 13th October 1915 |
His Lodge record in the register at the United Grand Lodge of England shows "Killed in action 5th May 1916"
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley