GREENSMITH Edward

MORTON CASUALTIES

Mr & Mrs Wm Greensmith, of Pilsley Road, Morton, have been informed that their third son, Second – Corporal Edward Greensmith, of the Royal Engineers, was killed in action on October 22nd. Aged 28 and single, the deceased prior to enlisting, worked as a miner at the Morton Colliery. He played football for the local team and also assisted them at cricket. Joining the Army in February, 1915, he was drafted out to France eleven days later to do tunnelling etc and had been through some of the heaviest fighting on the Western Front. According to letters sent to the bereaved parents by Lance –Corporals S Cheetham and Laybourne , regimental chums of deceased, “Ted” was struck by shrapnel shell and killed instantaneously . His body was conveyed six miles back from where he died and buried in a soldier’s grave with all honours. To use the words of Lance- Corpl Cheetham “ deceased was always one of the first to obey orders regardless of whatever dangers were attached to them , and could be relied upon to do his duty”.

Derbyshire Times: 10th November 1917 p8

War Graves Commission Citation