Frank Eden (1888-1916)

Service No: 19905 – 2^nd Battalion South Wales Borderers Regiment

Frank Eden was born on 5^th February 1888 in Cliffe, Warwickshire and baptised at Kingsbury on 18^th March. He was one of a large family born to John Eden, a gardener, and Maria Whitmore. By 1911 the family was living in New Street Castle Bromwich. During that year Frank married Maria Norton and they subsequently had three sons, Frank born 1912, Horace Percy born 1913 born in Aston and John Joseph on the 8^th September 1915 in Walsall.

Frank’s family had a history of military service with seven of the eight brothers serving at some stage during their lives. His sister married Benjamin Mobley and their son, Arthur Benjamin Mobley, also entered military service and was killed in a flying accident in 1950. Frank himself enlisted in Birmingham in July 1915 and first saw action in Gallipoli on 20^th September 1915 before being moved to Egypt and camping beside the Suez. In March 1916 the Battalion transferred to the Western Front.

On 1^st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the 2^nd Battalion South Wales Borderers Regiment were in action at Beaumont Hamel. Hawthorn Ridge Mine was detonated at 0720 hours. Whilst the crater produced from the mine’s 18,000 kg of explosives was 140 metres long, 90 metres wide and 25 metres deep, it had been detonated ten minutes before the rest of the attack.At that same moment the heavy barrage on the German front line was lifted to allow the troops trying to secure the crater to get forward.

At 0728 hours further mines were blown in the southern part of the battlefield and two minutes later at 0730 hours whistles were blown and the battle of the Somme commenced in earnest. The right battalion of the 87th Brigade advanced as if on parade up to the enemy’s first line. There the bulk of the battalion was held up by wire, but a portion managed to cross the trenches and advanced over the crest to the support line. The 2nd South Wales Borderers on their left found themselves cut to shreds by machine gun positions in the Y Ravine directly opposite them and did not succeed in penetrating the enemy’s line. It was here that Frank was fatally wounded. Meantime the enemy barrage on our front line caused many losses amongst the 1st K.O.S.B. and the 1st Border Regiment and the K.O.S.B. crossed the parapet, but except for some of the leading sections of the Border Regiments, none reached the leading battalions.

Half an hour after the attack had commenced, the 87th Brigade had been ground down to a halt. The 1st July that year was in fact a hot sunny day and many of the wounded lay baking in the sun all day waiting for rescue. Frank was eventually rescued but died of his wounds at 35^Th Casualty Clearing Station, France on 11^th July 1916.

He was buried at Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No: 1, Somme France, commemorated on the Castle Bromwich War Memorial and in St Mary and St Margaret Church and well as on Wlasall’s Roll of Honour.