Wyndham History

Richard Edwards (1894-1968)

Item

Placeholder image - Veteran.png

Dublin Core

Type

Title

Richard Edwards (1894-1968)

Contributor

Date

1914

Publisher

Wyndham City Council

Format

text

Language

eng

World War One Veterans Item Type Metadata

Name

Richard Edwards

Birth Date

Birthplace

Service Number

632

Enlistment Date

Next of Kin

J Walter Edwards
Empress Street
West Footscray, Victoria
Father

Address at time of Enlistment

Empress Street
West Footscray, Victoria

Occupation

Marital Status

Single

Death Date

Place of Burial

Footscray Cemetery

Biographical Text

No.632  Lieutenant Richard Edwards
Richard Edwards appears to have been born with the name Richard William Pickup Edwards, in Mitcham, Victoria on 3 December 1894 to Walter Edwards and Rebecca Allen Park. He had two sisters:
  • Lily May
  • Alice Mary
and three brothers:
  • Thomas Walter
  • Ernest Edward Allen
  • Albert Arthur Victor 
War Service
Richard enlisted into the Army at Footscray, Victoria on 17 August 1914.  He was aged 19 years and eight months and he was five feet and five inches tall. Richard weighted ten stone, eleven pounds and had chest measurement of thirty four inches.  His complexion was listed as fair, with blue eyes and black hair.  All of this was recorded at the time of his enlistment.

His address on enlistment from his Embarkation Roll  was Empress Street, West Footscray.  Richard was part of the 7th Infantry Battalion. 

Richard embarked from Australia on 21 October 1914.  He arrived in Gallipoli between April 1915 and May 1915. He contracted Influenza on 30 May 1915 and was discharged from hospital and re-joined his battalion at Gallipoli on 13 July 1915.  He embarked to Australia on 15 May 1919 and arrived on 5 July 1919. His appointment was terminated on 11 October 1919.

Post War
Richard married Lucy May Booth in 1919. On 30 August 1923 he is living at 132 Charles Street Footscray.  A document found in his War records confirmed this address.  Richard and Lucy had two children:
  • Maxwell Richard and
  • Violet Merle (born 1922 - died 1924). 
Ricard's father passed away in 1936 and his mother in 1944.  Both were still residing in West Footscray when at their time of death.

Richard died on 10 February 1968 in Heidelberg, Victoria aged 73 years old and is buried in the Footscray Cemetery, along with his daughter and wife.

Medals and Entitlements:
  • 1914/1915 Star - 24 April 1925
  • Victory Medal - 3 October 1923
  • British War Medal - 3 October 1923

Bibliography

AIF project http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/index.html

Ancestry
http://search.ancestry.com.au

National Archives of Australia http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/

https://billiongraves.com/sitemap/index.php?cemetery_id=148983&start=0&limit=10000

Medals and Entitlements

1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal

Citation

“Richard Edwards (1894-1968),” Wyndham History, accessed December 4, 2023, http://www.wyndhamhistory.net.au/items/show/2455.

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