Edward Markham was born in Chadwell Heath in 1895, one of six children born to George and Susan Markham.
George was a car-man on the Great Eastern Railway for over thirty years and Edward followed in his footsteps, joining the railway in 1910 and working as a van guard by the age of 15. In 1901, the family were living, rather appropriately, in Railway Street, Chadwell Heath, but had moved to Rose Villa on Chadwell Avenue by 1911.
George joined the 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment in October 1914 and went to France, serving from 25th July 1915 and earning the 1915 Star in addition to the Victory and British War medals. George was killed at Grandcourt, France on 8th February 1917, aged 21 years old, during an action to take Grandcourt Trench.
He is one of the many thousands commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing and is also named on the Great Eastern Railway memorial at Liverpool Street Station.
Adapted with kind permission of Nicky Scowen, from her book ‘Searching for the Lost Boys: The World War One Memorial, St Chad’s Church, Chadwell Heath’ © Nicky Scowen, 2013
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com