EDWARD TAYLOR
16 September 1889 - 13 May 1915
At School 1900
Lieut 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
2nd East Lancashire Brigade. On 23 November 1909 he was promoted to Lieutenant. It appears that he wished to pursue an army career as in March 1914 he successfully sat the Competitive Examination of Officers of the Special Reserve, Militia and Territorial Force and in June 1914 was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars. Edward proceeded overseas to France on 10 October 1914, the 18th Hussars being part of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Following Edward's arrival the Division took part in the First battle of Ypres in 1914 and remained in the Ypres area in early 1915. During this time Edward was promoted to Lieutenant. In May 1915 the Brigade took part in the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, where it was effectively used as infantry. The 18th Hussars were in the front line immediately in front of Wieltje. Sir John
French's Eighth (Second Ypres) Despatch describes the events: "On the night of the 12th - 13th (May) the line was re-organised, the centre Division retiring into Army Reserve to rest, and their places being taken in the trenches by the two Cavalry Divisions; the Artillery and Engineers of the centre Division forming with them what was known as the 'Cavalry Force' under the command of General de Lisle. On the 13th the various reliefs having been completed without incident, the heaviest bombardment yet experienced broke out at 4.30 a.m., and continued with little intermission throughout the day. At about 7.45 a.m. the Cavalry Brigade astride the railway, having suffered very severely, and their trenches having been obliterated, fell back about 800 yards. The North Somerset Yeomanry on the right of the Brigade, although also suffering severely, hung on to their trenches throughout the day, and actually advanced and attacked the enemy with the bayonet. The Brigade on its right also maintained its position; as did also the Cavalry Division, except the left squadron, which, when reduced to sixteen men fell back. The 2nd Essex Regiment, realising the situation, promptly charged and retook the trench, holding it till relieved by the Cavalry. Meanwhile a counter-attack by two Cavalry Brigades was launched at 2.30 p.m., and succeeded in spite of very heavy shrapnel and rifle fire, in regaining the original line of trenches, turning out the Germans who had entered it, and in some cases pursuing them for some distance. But a very heavy shell fire was again opened up on them, and they were again compelled to retire to an irregular line in rear, principally the craters of shell holes. The enemy in their counter-attack suffered very severe losses. At the southern end of the line the left Brigade was once again heavily shelled, as indeed was the whole front. At the end of a very hard day's fighting our line remained in its former position, with the exception of the short distance lost by one Cavalry Division. Later, the line was pushed forward, and a new line was dug in a less exposed position, slightly in rear of that originally held. The night passed quietly."
Edward was killed during this action and unsurprisingly, with the incessant shell fire suffered that day his body was never recovered and he is remembered on Panel 5 of the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, together with 46 fellow 18th Hussars who died in the Ypres area and have no known grave.
The Battalion history, "Memoirs of the 18th Royal Hussars", describes the horrors of the day: "At 3.30 on the morning of the 13th, a day few of us will ever forget, just as it was beginning to get light, the enemy opened an intensively heavy shell-fire on the trenches held by the Brigade, that portion occupied by the 18th Hussars being particularly battered. The cross-fire from heavy howitzers was annihilating, and the bombardment was of such intensity that a black pall hung over the trenches occupied by the Regiment for long periods from 3.30 a.m. till 10.30 a.m., when intermittent shelling continued till dark. The noise was deafening and the place a veritable inferno. An inspection of the trenches in the late afternoon disclosed the fact that, commencing with the left of the 9th Lancers and right through the 18th Hussars lines the parapets had, in many places, been completely demolished, that it was impossible to distinguish where the original line ran, and only here and there were found little lengths of trenches remaining. Behind these were grouped, however, the heroic remnants of the squadrons, about a hundred men out of the three hundred who had occupied them the night before. Casualties had commenced to be severe very early in the morning, "A" Squadron and part of "B" suffering heaviest at first. About 8.45 a.m. it was reported that the two left Squadrons of the 18th had retired, but this was not correct. The centre Squadron, under Capt. Lyon had suffered very severely: out of the three Officers with it, one, Lieut Taylor, was killed and of the others Capt. Lyon and Lieut. Chasemore were wounded. Three out of the four Troop Sergeants were killed. Sergts. Graham, East and Attree were killed and 64 other ranks were either killed or wounded."
The Memoirs later added "We had lost too, a most promising young Officer in Lieut. Taylor who, during the time he had been out at the front, had shown great zeal in his profession and had on several occasions done some very good work; we hoped for a successful career for him in the Army and felt sure we should not be deceived."