Medal Index Card
Newcastle Journal Friday 12th April 1918
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail Saturday 02/12/1911
Pontoon over the Tugela
By 1891 the family had moved to 12 Berwick Road, Gateshead, then moved again by 1901 to 12 Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead.
His father Colonel John Brokenshire Furneaux, {son of John Furneaux, born 1824 died 1897, and Susan Hutchings Retallick born 1824, died 16th March 1857), was in the 1st Durham Engineer Volunteer Reserve. He joined the 1st Durham Engineers Volunteers as a lieutenant in September 1882, and was promoted captain in 1888.
In July 1885, Lieutenant then in 'M' Company came 5th in the 1st Newcastle and Durham Engineer Volunteers Town plate shooting competition which was held in Jarrow.
In 1889 the 1st Durham Royal Engineers (Volunteers) left Jarrow for Strensall Common. The father and the son both attended this camp. Travelling by train from Jarrow through to Hebburn then Pelaw picking up more men from the battalion. Arriving at Strensall about 8 pm.
His father reached the rank of honorary Colonel in September 1902, and was awarded the Volunteer decoration for over 20 years service in December 1902. John also was working for Clark Chapman Ltd, where he worked alongside Mr Chapman. The Company use to be Chapman and Furneaux. He retired on February the 20th 1905 at Jarrow.
John now a Widower, in 1911 was residing at 52 Whiteley Road, Upper Norwood, London with Thomas Edington Furneaux and Margaret.
William was educated at the Gateshead High School then College of Sciences at Durham University/Armstrong College. William then worked for the Stanley Steam Car Company, and became a Commercial Traveller/Engineer. His two brothers John and George were apprentice Engineers at Chapman and Furneaux Co.
William married Alicia Freda [nee Mathieson], daughter of Charles John Herman Mathieson, on the 20th February 1907 at St Luke's, Lambeth London. William's last address in 1911, where he resided with his aunt Jane Edington, was 11 Richmond Terrace, Gateshead.
The 1st Durham Engineers, later Durham Fortress Engineers, was a Volunteer unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers. First founded in 1868 it was sometimes united with the Tyne Electrical Engineers, at other times it formed an independent unit. Although its main role was defence of the North East Coast of England, the unit sent detachments on active service to the Suakin Expedition, the Second Boer War, and the Western Front and Italy during the First World War.
In 1868 a new unit of Engineer Volunteers (EV) was formed at Jarrow on the County Durham bank of the River Tyne. The 1st Durham EV was raised and commanded by Charles Palmer (1822–1907), founder of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company and later the first mayor and Member of Parliament for Jarrow. The 1st Durham initially comprised six companies and Palmer was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant. By 1874 the 1st Durham EV (now 8 companies strong) and the 1st Newcastle EV (1 company) were united into the 1st Durham Administrative Battalion EV, consolidated in 1880 as the 1st Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham EV, with Palmer as commanding officer and an establishment of 1300 men.
In 1885, the Inspector- General of Fortifications, Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, sent a detachment of Volunteers to the Red Sea port of Suakin to assist the Regular Royal Engineers (RE) in railway construction for the British force engaged there. The detachment of 40 men was drawn from the 1st Newcastle & Durham EV and the 1st Lancashire EV.
Palmer, by now created Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet of Grinkle Park, retired from the unit in 1888 with the rank of Colonel. The same year, the 1st Newcastle & Durham was split into three separate units: the 1st Durham RE (Volunteers), at Jarrow, and the Tyne Division RE (V), Submarine Miners at North Shields, with Palmer as Honorary Commandant of both units, together with a new 1st Newcastle-on-Tyne RE (V) at Newcastle.
The 1st Durham RE (V) sent a detachment of one officer and 25 other ranks to assist the regular REs during the Second Boer War in 1900, and a second section the following year.
William served in the Boer War as a Lieutenant and was with the second section. The War Office had requested another section consisting of 1 officer and 25 men to be sent to South Africa. He was in the Bridging Section based at Standerton responsible for pontoon bridges. On Friday 21st March 1902, there is a newspaper report that four of them are coming home due to sickness. One of these mentioned was Lieutenant Furneaux, the others were Sappers Martin, Ballantyne and Shearer.
This second section returned home on the 13th July 1902. They arrived at Newcastle Central Station between 5 and 6 am, then boarded another train at 6 15 am for Jarrow arriving at 6.45 am. They were met by several thousands of people who had gathered and assembled near the station and many decorated houses. The other members of the battalion then assembled at the Drill Hall in Western Road to march out to meet their comrades. The Lord Mayor and other members of the Council were waiting to accord them a hearty welcome home. Lieutenant Furneaux section then drew up on the platform and the band struck up 'Auld Lang Syne'.
On Sunday morning the returned section attended divine service at St Oswald's Church at Hebburn to return thanks for their safe return from South Africa, after 16 months service. Later back at the Drill Hall they were presented with the South Africa Medals and Gold Watches. Lieutenant William Furneaux receive a Gold ring as well as his medal which was presented by his mother.
He was awarded the Queens South African Medal with 3 clasps. Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Tulega.
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the original plan was for the 1st Durham RE to provide the 1st Northumbrian Field Company and Divisional Signal Company in the TF's Northumbrian Division. However, by 1910 this plan had been altered, and instead the 1st Durham was redesignated the Durham Fortress Engineers, with the addition of an Electric Light Company provided by the Tyne Electrical Engineers (formerly Submarine Miners). The organisation of the unit on the eve of the First World War was as follows:
Durham Fortress Engineers, RE
HQ at Western Road, Jarrow
No 1 Works Company at Jarrow
No 2 Works Company at Jarrow
No 3 Works Company at Gateshead
The unit formed part of North Eastern Coastal Defences.
In 1911, William was charged with having been drunk on the 7th November, near Cullercoats, while in charge of the car. A Councillor Connacher was killed. Councillor Connacher, was a Licensed Victualler received fatal injuries whilst a passenger in the car. Furneaux was arrested and was remanded the following day, but was unable to appear as he was suffering from concussion. However his case was dismissed on the ground that the symptoms which he had shown were consistent with concussion of the brain.
Source : Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail Saturday 02/12/1911.
He was made Temporary Captain in the 9th (Service) Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Pioneers), on the 17th February 1915. Prior to this he was a Lieutenant.
The 9th Seaforth was formed at Fort George on 8th October 1914. The battalion joined the 9th (Scottish) Division at Aldershot in December and in early 1915 became the Pioneers of the 9th Division.
The 9th Seaforth moved to France in May 1915 and first went into the trenches at Bailleul. At the battle of Loos the battalion’s task was to link up the captured trenches and they dug two major communication trenches from the front line to the Hoherzollern Redoubt.
He was made Temporary Captain on 4th June 1917, then appointed acting Major on the 9th April 1917, and eventually attained the rank of Temporary Major on the 14th September 1917.
William died of his wounds in the German Reserve Hospital at Moislaine after being captured near Maricourt, severely wounded, he received a fatal gun shot wound to his abdomen on the 24th March 1918 aged 37.
William Edington in his will left £230 1s 1d to his widow then residing at 8 Anerley Hill Upper Nowood.
William Edington Furneaux is remembered in Durham in D47.151 page 34, in Newcastle on NUT063 and in Jarrow on J2.04