LONGMORE, Edwin

Edwin Longmore lived at 118 Enville Street, Stourbridge, with his mother before enlisting as a regular soldier. He had returned to Stourbridge by 1914 and was married with three children. He was a pre-war regular soldier, having enlisted in 1901, and was serving in the Grenadiers. He re-joined the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards in the 2nd Division and was sent immediately to France. They fought in the opening battle at Mons and then in all the major battles on the Western Front. In March 1918 they were forced to retreat in the Battle of St. Quentin and suffered severe losses. They returned for the Advance to Victory and recovered the lost territory in the Battle of Albert in August. In the battle of the Hindenburg Line at Havrincourt on the 12-13 September they were ultimately successful, but Private Edwin Longmore, who had come through all the previous encounters with the enemy, was killed by a sniper. He was 30 years of age and is buried in Vaux Hill Cemetery (III A 19) and commemorated on the Stourbridge, St. Thomas's church and the Methodist church Memorials.