Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Edwin Allan Townshend was born at Stillington, County Durham in 1888, one of 12 children of whom only 11 survived, he was the youngest of 5 sons and had 4 elder and 2 younger sisters. His father Thomas Townshend born in the village of Bircham Newton, Norfolk, where he was baptised, August 1st 1852 at the age of 18 was living with his brother-in-law Charles Coe, both employed as farm labourers at Salters Lode and Wellman Lake. He migrated to the north east where he married Francis Theresa Newell, known as Fanny, October 7th 1873 in the district of Stockton. Fanny born May 7th 1852 at Stanhoe, Norfolk where she was baptised May 26th, was the daughter of William and Mary Ann Newell, agricultural labourers. It may well be that they first knew each other in Norfolk as Fanny’s family did not leave Norfolk, however in 1871 they were living in villages only a few miles apart.
In 1881 Thomas, Fanny and their 4 children were living at 23, Duncombe Street, Middlesbrough where he was employed as a labourer at the ironworks, also listed in the census as a visitor is Joseph Blackmoor, native of Lincolnshire and iron worker. By the time Edwin was born they had moved to 3, West Street, Whitton, where his father continued to be employed as an ironworker, joined later in 1901 by his elder sons, Thomas William (17) as a labourer and Robert (21) employed as an engine-man, Edwin (12) attended school.
Aged only 16 years of age Edwin became a father, mother of child unknown. His daughter Elizabeth Jane Russell Townshend was born July 28th 1904. Edwin Allan Townshend married at St. Cuthbert's, Middlesbrough, August 7th 1909 to widow Mary Ellen Brown born 1884 at Leyburn, Wensleydale. Mary had a daughter Lilian from her previous marriage born at Stockton in 1905. In 1911 they were living at 6, Sever Street, Middlesbrough, Edwin supported his family employed as a storekeeper at the steel works. Daughter Olive Irene was born July 14th 1911, son Edwin Jnr February 14th 1914.
When war broke out in 1914 Edwin Allan Townshend enlisted at Middlesbrough, September 5th 1914 declaring he was employed as a blast furnace man. He was assigned as Rifleman S/2438 to the 9th Battalion King’s Royal Rifles Corps, joining his Regiment the following day at Winchester where October 1st 1914 he was transferred to the 12th Battalion K.R.R.C. part of Kitchener’s Second New Army, attached to the 60th Brigade, 20th (Light) Division. They were moved to Bisley then on to Blackdown by November 1914 and by February were in billets in Hindhead. April 10th 1915 they departed to Larkhill for final training, Rifleman Townshend was not amongst them as on compassionate grounds he had been awarded 14 days leave to return home to 28, Parliament Street, Middlesbrough. His son Edwin Jnr had died April 2nd 1915 aged only 13 months old of tubercle meningitis and pneumonia, his wife had been present at the death of their son. The Army paid the 2 shillings 7 pence required by the Registrar for the child's death certificate.
Having returned to his unit, September 7th 1915 he was transferred to the 14th Battalion K.R.R.C. Rifleman Townshend departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force December 11th 1915 bound for France where he was once again transferred to the 13th Battalion which had itself been transferred from the 21st Division to the 111th Brigade, 37th Division. Having just been involved in the Battle of Loos, suffering heavy casualties, after a period of rest and reinforcement they were moved to the Somme.
Rifleman S/2438 Edwin Allan Townshend King’s Royal Rifle Corps was killed in action at the Battle of Albert, which lasted from July 1st-13th 1916, during the attack at Gommecourt salient July 10th 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,246 named inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, Somme, France commemorating British and South African servicemen killed on the Somme 1915-1918 who have no known grave. He was 28 years old.
His widow Mary Ellen received all monies due to him, his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 8, Disraeli Street, Middlesbrough also a pension for herself and their 2 children of 18 shillings 6 pence a week as of February 10th 1917 (this excluded Lilian Brown as she was not Edwin’s child), until she remarried at Middlesbrough later in 1917 to George Henry Ramsay born in 1872 at Whitby, Yorkshire, a bachelor, 16 years her senior, whom she would have known from the time she and Edwin lived at Parliament Street as his family occupied number 25. They did not have any children together, George Henry died aged 63 years in 1938.
Details of Mary Ellen Ramsey-Townshend-Brown unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Edwin Allan Townshend is remembered at Stillington on S137.01 and as Townsend on S137.02
