Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Nieuport Memorial | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.119 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 38D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of James and Eliza Churchard, of 17, Chapel Loke, Norwich; husband of Margaret Catherine Churchard, of 'Reditus,' Kingsdown, Deal.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Chatham Bn. R.N. Div. RMLI |
| Action : The Defence of Antwerp |
The Defence of Antwerp was an action which occured 4th-10th October 1914. As the German Army swept through Belgium in August and September 1914 it detached part of its resources to take the important city and port of Antwerp. Whilst its capture was not essential to the success of the Schlieffen Plan it did need to be first covered then taken, particularly as the front moved further north into Flanders. The city, ringed with massive fortifications held out against the German guns and it was decided to send the Royal Naval Division, basically sailors fighting as soldiers, to assist. In the event they were not able to prevent the fall of the city and had to embark on a forced march to evade capture. Many were interned in neutral Holland.
Detail :
Edward CHURCHARD was one of the Royal Naval contingent sent to defend Antwerp which was besieged by the Germans. Whilst putting up a spirited defence the situation was untenable and the overwhelming superiority in numbers, and more importantly in siege artillery, enjoyed by the Germans made the fall of Antwerp inevitable. The evacuation of the British troops involved an attempt to break out of Antwerp and move down the coast towards the Channel Ports. In the event this proved impossible and most of the men headed for The Netherlands which was a neutral state. There they assumed that they would be repatriated to the UK, however that was not what happened and most of them remained incarcerated for the duration of the war. Some casualties were sustained whilst trying to break out from Antwerp and in 1920 seventeen RMLI graves were exhumed from their original burial place in Lierre Military Cemetery (South East of Antwerp) to Schoonselhof (Antwerp) Military Cemetery. The evidence seems to suggest that one of the RMLI men were originally buried in Lierre was Colour Sergeant CHURCHARD. He is now lies under one of 17 headstones of 'Unknown RMLI' in Schoonselhof Military Cemetery. So far we have identified 4 Brethren who fell in the defence of Antwerp and its immediate aftermath; AMOS, CHURCHARD, YORK and HANSON (who was executed by the Germans). Edward Albert Churchard RMLI, of the Chatham Battalion enlisted at Norwich on the 6th October 1890 & enrolled in the RFR 31/8/1912. He was born in Roydon, Diss, Norfolk on 6/8/1872 and was the husband of Margaret Churchard, of 45 Marylands Rd., Harrow Rd., Paddington, London W9
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lord Charles Beresford No. 2404 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
27th November 1906 | 29th December 1906 | 26th February 1907 |
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