EDWARDS, William Evan

William Edwards was the son of Edgar Edwards of Pearson Street, Brierley Hill. He volunteered for the South Staffords and went to the 8th (Service) Battalion which after home training was sent to the Western Front in July 1915 as part of the 17th Division. They were posted to the Ypres sector, followed by the Somme in 1916. They came into the front line in 1917 for the Battle of Arras. The first attack on the 9th April had been a great success but the new front line was now the formidably defended Hindenburg Line. The Staffords attacked on the 23rd April but the huge mass of wire had not been fully cut by the artillery and casualties were high. Among the 223 casualties was Corporal William Edwards who was killed in action on the 24th April. He was 26 years of age and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial and on the Brierley Hill and Brierley Hill church Memorials.