Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Edward William Spurden was the second son of Walter Thomas and Sarah (nee Binskin) Spurden, of Elizabeth Street, Timaru, and the Atlas Mills. His parents were both from England, and their's appears to be the only Spurden family in New Zealand. The family lived initially at Winchester, where Walter was a miller. By 1890 they had moved to Timaru. Edward was born in 1885 at Winchester near Temuka, and baptised on 17 May 1885 at St John the Evangelist Anglican Parish at Winchester. He was educated at Timaru Main and Waimataitai Schools. In June 1909 Edward was reported as the one who found the body of a deceased fisherman on the North Mole in Timaru's harbour . After offering his services he had only a few days before leaving with South Canterbury's extra quota, which was given a rousing farewell in late May 1915. Following afternoon tea in the Drill Shed and an address by the Mayor, amidst much cheering from the crowds they joined recruits from the south (Invercargill, Dunedin, and Oamaru) on a very long special troop train, going to camp at Trentham, and then to the front. Edward embarked for Suez, Egypt in October 1915. There, at Aerodrome Camp, on 17 November 1915, he forfeited four days pay for being absent without leave while on active service. He again forfeited fourteen days pay for being absent without leave from 6am till 1.30pm on 6 June 1916, in the Field, and for drunkenness on duty the following day. On 17 December 1915 Edward was hospitalised at Abbassia, where he remained until 10 January 1916. He rejoined his Battalion a few days later. On 16 April 1916 he embarked for France, where he was again hospitalised, this time in July with influenza. Again he rejoined his Battalion at the Somme, on 7 July, only to be reported "missing believed buried by shell explosion". Subsequently it was declared he had been killed in action on 19 July. In his August 1916 report to the school committee, the headmaster of the Timaru Main School noted that the name of Edward Spurden, a former pupil of the school who had been killed in action, had been added to the Roll of Honour. The committee passed a motion of sympathy with his parents. And at the Timaru Main School committee meeting in April 1917 it was recorded that no fewer than 300 old boys of the school had joined the Expeditionary Forces, of whom 30 had made the supreme sacrifice - one of them being E. Spurden. Edward's medals were sent to his father at the Atlas Mills, Timaru. Edward's father was the beneficiary and executor of his will written in his pay-book and dated 28 June 1915, but he did not apply for probate. Edward's name is recorded on the Timaru Memorial Wall. His brother Leonard Joseph Spurden had also been killed in action in 1915 at Gallipoli. His oldest brother, Frederick Walter Spurden, was listed on the Reserve Rolls, being (by 1916) married with two children. Frederick's son, who was born in 1920 and served in World War Two, was named for his two uncles who lost their lives in World War One - Leonard Edward Spurden.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [03 December 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK18805 W5553 0108244) [04 April 2014]; CWGC [03 December 2013]; NZ BDM indexes (DIA) [04 December 2013]; Timaru Herald, 21 June 1909, 26 & 31 May 1915, 03 August 1916, 24 August 1916, 28 April 1917 (Papers Past) [04 December 2013; 08 March 2015]; School Admission Registers (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [2013]; Winchester Anglican Baptism Records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [08 March 2015]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [09 March 2015]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

TS