Private Edward John Wright

Edward was born on 5 June 1878 Shoreditch. He was baptised on 13 August at St Augustine, Haggerston, Hackney. His parents, Thomas Snr, a labourer, and Mary Anne were living at 81Whiston Street, Shoreditch together with Edward’s siblings, Frances, Florence, Margaret and brother Thomas. By 1891 younger sister Annie had joined the family. According to the 1911 Census, only Thomas Snr, Annie and Edward were still living at the family home, as Edward’s mother Mary had died. Edward was employed as a Printers’ Labourer.

Edward spent long periods in Workhouses between 1913 and 1915. After having lived his whole life at home in 81 Whiston Street, he fell on hard times and moved about London with no fixed abode. His mother died in 1910 and his father around 1912 so perhaps it was no longer possible to live at the family home. He was admitted to Bethnal Green Infirmary in 1913, but as he was not born in that parish, the authorities ordered him to be removed to the responsibility of the parish of St. Leonards, Shoreditch who had the legal responsibility to provide poor relief. A report on 20 March 1913 records:

“Man was admitted to Bethnal Green Infirmary from no home, he had been tramping about was in various boarding houses around London and at various parts of the country not having any fixed abode for six months. Prior to having no home lived with his sister Annie Wright at 81 Whiston Street where he lived all his life. Man is by trade a labourer…”

Again in June 1915, when Edward was aged 36, the Tower Hamlets Parish applied for Edward to be transferred from the Workhouse of the Whitechapel Union, Mile End where he had lived from 4 February 1914, to the parish of Shoreditch. An entry records his next of kin to be his sister Florence Clark, who was living at 27 Boyd Road, Merton.

It is not known when he left the Workhouse system, but he eventually was enlisted as a Private into the Middlesex Regiment, later transferring to the Cambridgeshire Regiment.

On 26 September 1917, the Cambridgeshires were ordered to attack a ridge known as Tower Hamlets ridge, on which was a heavily fortified German strongpoint known as Joist Redoubt. Under heavy fire, and with hand-to-hand fighting, they managed to take and hold the ridge.

The 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment and their Black Watch comrades, had spent nearly 48 hours holding Joist Redoubt. During that time the Cambridgeshires had suffered heavy casualties and the Battalion was exhausted. Of the attacking force of around 500 men, over 200 were now casualties, 62 of which had been killed. The attack on Joist Redoubt was the fourth time the 1/1st Cambridgeshires had taken part in a large scale “over the top” attack and, once again, they had distinguished themselves.

Edward was one of the men who were killed in action on that day. He is commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium and locally at Christ Church, Colliers Wood.