Pte 24950 Edward Duffy

• Age: 20
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 10th July 1916
• Commemorated at: London Rd Cem Ext, Longueval
  Panel Ref: 10.H.51

Edward Thomas Duffy was born on the 25th May 1895 in Liverpool, the son of Robert Duffy and his wife Mary (nee Brennan) who were married in 1893 in Birkenhead. He was baptised on the 02nd June 1895 at St Francis Xavier's Church, Liverpool.  

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 3 Camden Terrace, Silvester Street, Liverpool. His father Robert is aged 41, born 1870 and is a Railway Wagon Loader, born in Birkenhead. His wife Mary is aged 42, born 1869 in County Roscommon, Ireland. At the time of the Census they had been married for 19 years. They have five children, Margaret aged 17, born 1894 no occupation listed, Edward aged 15, born 1896 and occupation Grocers Errand Boy, Robert aged 14, born 1897 a Stationers Printers Errand Boy, William aged 12, born 1899 and Gertrude aged 9, born 1902 both at school age.

Edward's mother died, aged 47, in 1914, she was buried on the 24th February at Ford Cemetery.  

Edward enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 24950 when he was killed in action between the 10-12th July 1916 aged 20 during the Battle of the Trones Wood.  

The murderous fighting that went on inside Trones Wood rendered it impossible to put specific dates on some of the casualties which is why many of the 17th Battalion losses have been bracketed as killed in action between 10th – 12th July 1916. The conditions are best described in the following passage from Everard Wyrall’s book The History of The King’s Regiment (Liverpool) Volume II.    

Edward was buried close to where he fell but following the war his body was exhumed and reburied. He now rests at London Road Cemetery and Extension, Longueval, France. 

High Wood was fiercely fought over during the Battle of the Somme until cleared by 47th (London) Division on 15 September 1916. It was lost during the German advance of April 1918, but retaken the following August.

The original London Cemetery at High Wood was begun when 47 men of the 47th Division were buried in a large shell hole on 18 and 21 September 1916. Other burials were added later, mainly of officers and men of the 47th Division who died on 15 September 1916, and at the Armistice the cemetery contained 101 graves. The cemetery was then greatly enlarged when remains were brought in from the surrounding battlefields, but the original battlefield cemetery is preserved intact within the larger cemetery, now known as the London Cemetery and Extension.

The cemetery, one of five in the immediate vicinity of Longueval which together contain more than 15,000 graves, is the third largest cemetery on the Somme with 3,873 First World War burials, 3,114 of them unidentified.

London Cemetery and Extension was used again in 1946 by the Army Graves Service for the reburial of Second World War casualties recovered from various temporary burial grounds, French military cemeteries, small communal cemeteries, churchyards and isolated graves, where permanent maintenance was not possible. These graves are in one central plot at the extreme end of the cemetery, behind the Cross of Sacrifice. Second World War burials number 165.

The original London Cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, but the site was completely re-modelled after the Second World War by Austin Blomfield.

Soldiers Effects to father Robert and Pension to sister Miss Gertrude Duffy, 13 Silvester Street. 

His father, Robert died, aged 63, in 1933.

We have contacted CWGC to see if they will alter Edward's date of death and arrange for a new headstone to reflect his date of death. 

Edward is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 6. 

We currently have no further information on Edward Duffy, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.