Lt Edmund Woods

A similar, but more intriguing story is that of Lt Edmund Woods. He was born on the September 24, 1893 at Yew Tree Cottage in Brindle, near Chorley.
Lt Edmund Woods who died in WW1 (right) thought to be with his younger brother AlfredLt Edmund Woods who died in WW1 (right) thought to be with his younger brother Alfred
Lt Edmund Woods who died in WW1 (right) thought to be with his younger brother Alfred

Educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Blackburn, he went on to study at St. Paul’s College in Cheltenham in 1912 before joining the Army Territorial Force on the October 2, 1914.

He was posted to the 1st / 4th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment in Gallipoli on the July 23, 1915 - less than a month later he was dead.

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On the night of the 12th and morning of August 13, 1915 Lt Woods was in the notorious Vineyard Trench, a mile and a half south of the town of Krithia.

During an engagement with Turkish troops, he and a number of his men were killed.

He is recorded as having no known grave but a photograph has come to light of his grave, marked on the reverse “Cousin Eddy’s grave in Gallipoli”.

It is in a reasonably well laid out ‘battlefield cemetery’.

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The East Lancashire Regiment War Diary records that “during a night of firing in Vineyard Trench”, Lt Woods was killed along with seven other ranks.

The diary names the men and all seven are buried in marked graves, in a line, in plot XI, row B of Redoubt Cemetery near The Vineyard.

Along the row, apparently, there is one unmarked grave - number B11.

Lt Woods is commemorated on the Rishton War Memorial, near Accrington and on his mother’s grave in St James’ churchyard, Brindle near Chorley.

His parents were recorded as living at 75 Stourton Street, Rishton after the war.

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