E. A. Slade
Service no. G/17166 (This service number, given on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for E.A. Slade, is not quoted on any other document known to date)
Private, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), Depot
Secondary Unit, Regiment transf. to (Cpl. 62899) 105th Coy. Labour Corps
Died 30 October 1917, aged about 24
Remembered Solferino Farm Cemetery, Belgium
This identification was made by Chris Burge, who writes:
Edward Arthur Slade was born in 1883 in Battersea, one of William and Leah Frances Slade’s three children. By 1901 the family were living in Kennington and Edward Slade worked as a carpenter. Edward was married on 7 September 1901 to Jessie Florence Merryweather at All Saints, South Lambeth, giving their address as 124 Crimsworth Road, an area dominated by the Nine Elms Locomotive Works.
By the time of the 1911 census, Edward and Jessie had three children, Edward aged 8, Jessie aged 7 and Florrie aged 5. Their son, Stanley Sidney Slade, was born in 1912. Edward now earned his living as a house painter and Jessie worked as an LCC school cleaner. The family of five occupied three rooms at 12 Union Street, Clapham. Two other people lived in two rooms at the same address.
Edward Arthur Slade was probably conscripted in 1916, first joining a training battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. Edward was sent to France as private (corporal?) 53436, Royal Fusiliers at an unknown date.
The Labour Corps was created at the beginning of 1917 with men from the Royal Fusiliers 36th(Labour) Battalion becoming the 105 Company and given service numbers between 62401 and 63000. It is very likely the Edward Slade was wounded or injured while serving in the infantry before he was transferred to the Labour Corps some time in 1917. Edward Arthur Slade lost his life in unknown circumstances on 30 October 1917.
His widow Jessie received a £6 10s war gratuity in 1919 and a widow’s pension for herself and her four children: Jessie Florence Slade, Edward Arthur Slade, Jessie Minnie Slade and Stanley Sidney Slade.
Jessie was remarried in 1919 to Charles E. Forbes and continued to live at 12 Union Street until 1924. Edward’s son, Stanley was living in Larkhall Lane in the 1930s and was a resident of Sutton when he passed away in 2000, aged 87.