Edward Penfold's Grave Lapugnoy Military Cemetery

Born in Lambeth, London around 1887 it seems Edward was initially reluctant to join the conflict in which his country was embroiled. During June 1917 he attended the Chailey Tribunal where representations of people as to why they should be exempt military service were heard. In this instance, however, it was the military spokesman who made application for Edward to attend the Tribunal in order that his earlier exemption from Service be rescinded.

Edward had moved to Ringmer and become a baker in the village, living with his wife Emily Ester at Sunnyside. They had married on 24th October 1915 and at 35 she was his senior and already a widow. Conscription, with the number 203337, was into the Royal Sussex Regiment with which his initial military training took place. From there he was posted into the 74th Battalion Machine Gun Corps with the rank of Private and a new number of 126966.

The 74th (Yeomanry) Division that Edward was attached to served in Palestine until the end of April 1918. Also in that Division was the 16th (Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. They sailed from Alexandria for France and arrived in Marseilles on 7th May. Concentration was near Abbeville for training prior to moving into the line near Merville on 14th July. Early August saw their first action near Bapaume before they became involved in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.

An attack was planned to commence at 5.50am on 21st September in the area of Ronssoy and Templeux le Guerard [about ten miles north west of St. Quentin]. The Machine Gun Section formed up with the 16th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment which supplied carriers for the ammunition. The main purpose of a Machine Gun Section in attack was to support our infantry by firing over their heads and saturating an area of land with bullets thus denying it to the enemy. The Vickers Machine Gun was fired from a tripod and altogether weighed 90lb without ammunition. During an advance this all had to be carried forward. Each gun was capable of continuous fire provided ammunition and water for cooling was available and instances of over 120,000 rounds being fired in 12 hours are recorded.

At this time of the War the Germans were, in general, retreating. They were not however prepared to relinquish ground easily and fought our soldiers with all available means. The Machine Gunners suffered many casualties during this battle. Their plight had not been aided by members of the carrying party abandoning their load of ammunition and withdrawing to safety. Starved of a constant replenishment of cartridges, the rate of fire withered and the enemy surfaced to fight back, the Gunners being a preferred target. Their Commanding Officer after detailing the events of 21st September, commented in the War Diary:

I wish to pay a particular tribute to the high morale and tenacity of the Section under very trying circumstances; the carrying party disappeared; withdrawing Infantry continually passed through; heavy fire was brought to bear on them from three flanks and the shelling throughout was exceptionally heavy. The Section never wavered and kept their nerve throughout.

It was in the course of this engagement that Edward Penfold was mortally wounded and died twelve days later in Number 18 Casualty Clearing Station (C.C.S.). He was 31 and is buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery which adjoined the C.C.S. His entitlement of British War & Victory Medals were sent to his widow who subsequently married for the third time and, as Mrs Emily Over, moved to Worthing.

Adapted from Valiant Hearts of Ringmer by Geoff Bridger: Ammonite Press, 1993