Trafford

Born during the September quarter 1894 in the Manchester R.D. - ref:
8d/298, the eldest son of William Henry & Sarah Ann Edge (nee Tierney).

1901 Census - 71 Trafford Grove, Stretford.   Son - aged: 5 - born:
Manchester.   Head of household - William H. Edge - Married - aged: 28 -
occ: Clerk for Pork Butcher - born: Manchester.   Also - Sarah A. Edge -
Wife - aged: 30 - born: Manchester.  Plus 1 younger brother, 4 boarders and
1 visitor.

1911 Census - 20 Jackson Street, Sale.   Son - aged: 16 - occ: Apprentice
Electrical Engineer - born: Manchester.   Head of household - William Henry
Edge - Married - aged: 38 - occ: Labourer with Electrical Engineer - born:
Worsley, Lancashire.   Also - Sarah Ann Edge - Wife - aged: 41 - born:
Manchester.  Plus 5 younger siblings.

Pioneer battalion..    'A' Company - landed at Le Havre on 15th February
1915. 

04.08.1914 Stationed at Volunteer Street, Chester as part of the Cheshire
Brigade of the Welsh Division.
Aug 1914 Moved to Shrewsbury and then Northampton and then Cambridge.
Feb 1915 Mobilised for war leaving the Welsh Division and landing at
Havre.
19.02.1915 Joined the 14th Brigade of the 5th Division and engaged in
various actions on the Western Front including;
The Battle of Mons and subsequent retreat, The Battle of Le Cateau and the
Affair of Crepy-en-Valois, The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the
Aisne, The Battles of La Bassee and Messines 1914, The First Battle of
Ypres 1914.
29.11.1915 Became Pioneer Battalion of the 5th Division.
13.02.1916 Transferred to the 56th Division as a Pioneer Battalion

On the 1st July 1916:   To fool the Germans that the push was to be further
north a "dummy attack" was to be made to capture the fortress village of
Gommecourt (located about 8 miles north of Albert). To ensure that the
Germans were guarding the wrong place, no attempt was made to keep the
preliminary operations at Gommecourt secret. For weeks, the commanders of
the attacking divisions had been ordered to make their preparations as
obvious as possible.  They did this well, but the secret was never passed
on to the men.  The Germans were suitably deceived, and a strong force was
ready to repel the attack which, they believed, was obviously coming in
this sector.
 
There were no plans to follow up the attack, should it prove successful,
because the real effort was reserved for the main battle.  There would be
no strategic result of the operation except for straightening out the
British line by the elimination of the Gommecourt salient.
The attack was mounted by VII Corps, with the 46th Division attacking to
the north of the salient, and the 56th to the south.  The intention was for
troops from the two Divisions to meet and thus 'pinch out' the salient
here.  The advance of the 56th Division went quite well initially, with the
enemy's first two lines taken, but there was more resistance from the third
line.
 	
However, the 46th (North Midland) Division did not fare so well.  The wire
in front of the German trenches had not been cut by the barrage, and
although a few men of the 1/6 South Staffords and 1/6 North Staffords did
get into the enemy's front-line trenches, they and the other attackers here
(battalions of the Sherwood Foresters) had little success and were driven
back with significant losses. To the south, men from the 56th (London)
Division eventually withdrew in the evening, and the net gain that day here
was effectively zero.
 
The above account of the engagement is the dry narrative of an official
report. For contrast here is a message from a major involved in the
Gommecourt attack to his CO :
 
1.10 pm Shelling fearful. Mackenzie killed. Trench practically untenable,
full of dead and wounded.  Very few men indeed left. Must have instructions
and assistance.
 
1.45 pm Trench absolutely impassable owing to shell fire. Every party that
enters it knocked out at once.  Captain Ware has been wounded somewhere
there.  I have just crawled to the end of it with a Scottish machine gun
party. Could not find him.  One of the Scottish had his hand blown off. 
Our front line in an awful state.  Two more men killed and one wounded.
 
2.04 pm I have as far as I can find only 13 men left besides myself. 
Trenches unrecognisable. Quite impossible to hold. Bombardment fearful for
last two hours.  I am the only officer left. Please send instructions.  
(The officer was major Charles Dickens, grandson of the famous writer).