Hon. Edward Wodehouse

Born: 12 April 1898

Died: 30 March 1918

Rank and Regiment: Second Lieutenant in the 16th Battalion of the Queen's Lancers

Resting Place: body unrecovered

Memorial: Kimberley War Memorial, United Kingdom and; Pozieres Memorial, France

Edward was born at Witton, near North Walsham, on 12 April 1898. He was the youngest son of John Wodehouse, 2nd Earl of Kimberley and Isabel Geraldine (nee Stracey).

In the 1901 Census he is living at Witton Hall.

By 1911 he was at boarding school,  at Ludgrove School, a large preparatory school then based at New Barnet.

His father succeeded to the earldom in 1902, and following family tradition, Edward attended Eton College and is listed in the privately printed 334-page volume List of Etonians who Fought in the Great War MCMXIV-MCMXIX. He went from there to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and the London
Gazette of 26 October 1916 lists him among the “Gentlemen Cadets from the Royal Military College to be Second Lieutenants”. His joined the same regiment as his older brother John, the 16th Lancers.

In 1918, aged just 19, he was awarded the Military Cross, like John was to be later in the year, The citation, which appeared in the London Gazette on 1 February 1919, long after his death, read:

“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on 25th March 1918, near Menessis. During fighting in a fog he went out on several patrols, and managed to bring in parties who had been cut off by the enemy passing through unobserved. When the position had to be abandoned, he led a counter-attack, drawing fire off the main body, who got back safely. Throughout the day his example and resource kept the men steady in
trying circumstances”.

He was killed in action less than a week later, on 30 March 1918, at the start of the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, part of the German Spring Offensive on the Western Front. In The History of the Sixteenth, the Queen’s Light Dragoon Guards, the events of 30 March are described thus:

“During the night the enemy occupied the wood at Moreuil, and as a breakthrough at this point threatened to turn the right of the defence line it was urgently necessary to dislodge them. The 2nd Cavalry Division and the Canadian Brigade were hurried up from Cattenchy at daybreak, and the 16th, 4th Hussars, and the Canadians were sent on to drive the Germans out of the wood...The enemy were prevented from making any further advance and the position was held until 10 pm when the 16th and 4th were relieved and sent back to Thennes on the Amiens- Montdidier road, where they remained for the night. The 16th casualties this day were Lieuts Maxwell and Wodehouse an one other ranks killed, Captain Allen and 18 others wounded [Capt Allen subsequently died of his wounds]”

Edward Wodehouse’s body was never found, and he is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

In addition to the War Memorial at Kimberley Church, he is also commemorated on a brass tablet in the chancel of the church, on the War Memorial at Eton College, and on the War Memorial at Wymondham and at Witton by Walsham, the place of his birth.

Pozieres Memorial, France