Private Edgar Block
| Date of Birth | c. 1896 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | |
| Date of Death | 7 June 1917 |
| Service Number | T/243201 |
| Military Service | “A” Company, 1/5 Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment |
| Merton Address | 5 Queens Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Edgar was born in 1896, the 5th of 11 siblings. His father Louis (also spelt Lewis) was a labourer at the gas works and in 1901 the family were living at 15 Queens Road, Mitcham. His mother was Elizabeth Eva Stibbings-Jones, known as Eva, and came from Norfolk.
By 1911 they had moved to the house next door and were residing at 17 Queens Road. This was a 5 room house and, although the three eldest children, Louis, Arthur and John had moved out by then, Eva’s 80 year old mother, Margaret Jones, was staying with them so there were 11 inhabitants. Edgar had left school and become a grocer’s errand boy.
Records from the time Edgar's older brother Arthur enlisted in 1916 show that they family had again moved in the same road and were living at 5 Queens Road.
While we don’t know what Edgar looked like, we do believe he was quite short as his mother told her grandson Arthur Brice that he had needed a box to climb on a horse.
Edgar joined “A” Company, 1st/5th Battalion, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) and sadly died in a drowning accident at 5.30pm on 7 June 1917. An inquest was held and the court concluded that “no blame could be attributed to anyone, Pte BLOCK having been drawn into deep water by the current.”
He is buried in Basra War Cemetery.