In Memory of

Private Edward Traverse

18773
1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment
Killed in Action on 11th July 1917 Age 47

Edward was the youngest son of the late Edward and Alice Traverse of Old Toll Bar, Collins Green, a well known Burtonwood family, but when he enlisted in March 1915, he was living with his sister, Mrs. Brierley of Common Road, Earlestown. SDGW however has his residence as Manchester.

Prior to joining up, Edward worked at Collins Green Colliery Farm. After two years service at the front, he was expecting his discharge owing to rheumatic troubles having affected him.

According to his obituary published in the Newton and Earlestown Guardian on August 31st 1917, a letter was received from the Captain of his Regiment stating that about midnight between the 10th and 11th of July, he was killed in action “whilst nobly doing his duty”.

Edward is buried in Coxyde Military Cemetery in Koksijde, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium in Plot I Row I Grave 67. In June 1917, Commonwealth forces relieved French forces on a six kilometre front from the sea to a point south of Nieuport (now Nieuwpoort), and held the sector for six months. The village of Coxyde (now Koksijde) was about ten kilometres behind this front line and used for billets. It became the most important of the Commonwealth cemeteries on the Belgian coast. There are 1,500 casualties from the First World War buried there. It was used again in the Second World War during the defence of the Dunkirk-Nieuport perimeter in May 1940.