Edward Rawlings

Rank 
Private
Regiment 
Essex Regiment
Date of death 
3 September 1916
Age of death 
22
Cemetery / Memorial 
France
Biography 

Memories from Mrs Anne Earl, on her Two of my great uncles are commemorated in Ilford

Thomas and Edward Rawlings both died in Flanders. Their brother, my grand father, Charles Rawlings, was taken prisoner and held at Parchim prisoner of war camp. Edward was killed in July 1916 and is commemorated at Thiepval on the main monument. Thomas was killed in October 1917. My grandfather survived and passed in August 1974 but suffered from the torture he had endured from his imprisonment for the rest of his life. When speaking with him he never said anything against the German soldiers and in fact I have a letter from one of his jailers which he received after the war as they had become friends. His ethos was that no-one wants to rage war on another but sometimes you have little or no choice in the actions you have to take.