2nd Lieut Edward Gerrard Austin

• Age: 31
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: Cheshire Regiment 17th Btn
• Died on Wednesday 18th September 1918
• Commemorated at: Epehy Wood Farm Cemetery, Epehy
  Panel Ref: II.F.18

Edward Gerrard Austin was born 23rd January, 1887 in Liverpool. His father was William Austin of 5 Bidstone Ave, Wallasey, Cheshire. 

Edward was educated at Liverpool Institute and Wallasey Grammar School.

He was a partner in the family business E & W Austin, Contractors, Clarence Street, Liverpool. He was a Sunday School teacher at the Parish Church of Wallasey. A keen sportsman, he was Captain of the Wallasey Hockey Club and a member of the Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club.

He enlisted in November 1914 having initially been refused entry to the 17^th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment on account of varicose veins. He subsequently had an operation to rectify the problem and subsequently joined the 17^th Battalion after showing such determination to enlist.

He went to France in November 1915.

He was severely wounded on 01st July 1916 during the successful attack on Montauban.

He was commissioned after recovery into the 5^th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment on 28th August 1917 and was sent to Egypt attached to the 2/24th Battalion of the London Regiment. He served in Palestine until July, 1918 and eventually returned to France as 2nd Lieutenant with the 4th Battalion of the  Cheshire Regiment.

He was killed in action on 18th September 1918 during an attack on the village of Pezieres.  A German machine gun opened up on the flank of the platoon, he called for volunteers and was killed rushing at the machine gun. He had only recently married on 01st September 1918 to Marguerite Elizabeth Mary Underwood, whose brother 23611 Private Eric Mowbray Underwood, served in the 20th Pals.

Edward now rests at Epehy Wood Farm Cemetery 

The village of Epehy was captured at the beginning of April 1917. It was lost on 22 March 1918 after a spirited defence by the Leicester Brigade of the 21st Division and the 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers. It was retaken (in the Battle of Epehy) on 18 September 1918, by the 7th Norfolks, 9th Essex and 1st/1st Cambridgeshires of the 12th (Eastern) Division. The cemetery takes its name from the Ferme du Bois, a little to the east. Plots I and II were made by the 12th Division after the capture of the village, and contain the graves of officers and men who died in September 1918 (or, in a few instances, in April 1917 and March 1918). Plots III-VI were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields surrounding Epehy and the following smaller cemeteries:- DEELISH VALLEY CEMETERY, EPEHY, in the valley running from South-West to North-East a mile East of Epehy village. It contained the graves of 158 soldiers from the United Kingdom (almost all of the 12th Division) who fell in September, 1918. EPEHY NEW BRITISH CEMETERY, on the South side of the village, contained the graves of 100 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in August, 1917-March, 1918 and in September, 1918. EPEHY R.E. CEMETERY, 150 yards North of the New British Cemetery. It contained the graves of 31 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in April-December, 1917, and of whom 11 belonged to the 429th Field Company, Royal Engineers. The cemetery now contains 997 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 235 of the burials are unidentified but there are additional special memorials to 29 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to two casualties buried in Epehy New British Cemetery, whose graves could not be found when that cemetery was concentrated. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

Edward Gerrard Austin is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 16 Left. 

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