Roberts | Edward Davenport
Biography
Edward Davenport Roberts was killed in action on 12 October, 1944. He was aged 33 at the time. He was a Lance Sergeant in the 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment (Service No. 3767579). He was initially buried 2km west of Overloon, south of the Overloon to Oploo road and re-interred on 27 May 1947 in grave IV. B. 7 in the Overloon CWG Cemetery.
Family background
Edward, who was known as Ted, was born in Bootle on 7 September 1911 and was the son of William Roberts and Mary Eades Davenport who had married in Bootle on 5 August 1903.
William had been born in Winsford in Cheshire on 21 October 1876 while Mary had been born in Liverpool in 1877. William was a sheet metal worker.
William and Mary had seven children as follows, all born in Bootle: George Henry 1904, Joseph Eades 1906, William Ernest 1907, Lucy May 1909, Edward Davenport 7 September 1911, Edith Maud 1913 and Mary Lilian 26 March 1917. However, Willliam Ernest Roberts died shortly after birth.
In early 1911, before Edward’s birth, William and Mary were living at 53 Tennyson Street with their first three surviving children. This was the same address given when Edward was baptised in St Leonard’s Church, Bootle, Liverpool on 22 October 1911.
In June 1921, William and Mary were living at 17, Percy Street, Bootle with all of their surviving children. William was working as a Sheet Metal Worker for Harland & Wolff, Ship Repairers. Their son, George, was an apprentice sheet metal worker while Joseph was an Office Boy at Harland & Woolff.
Mary E Roberts died aged 46 in 1923 in the West Derby district. William then married Jane Ratsey in 1925 in West Derby. Jane had been born on 28 July 1884. They had a child, Joan Roberts, in 1928 in West Derby.
Militaire carrière
Edward signed up for the Territorial Army in May 1930, aged 18, as a Private in B Company of the 7th Battalion of the King’s Regiment. This was a reserve battalion. Shortly afterwards, on 2 September 1930, he attested to join the Regular Army at Seaforth, hoping to serve in the King’s Regiment. His occupation was given as Tinsmith and Welder. He signed up for 7 years, followed by 5 in the reserve. This was just 6 days before his 19th Birthday. He was described as being 5ft 3½in tall and weighed 131 lbs. He had a fresh complexion, blue eyes and fair hair and had a scar on his right cheek.
He initially remained at the King’s Regiment Depot. He obtained a 3rd Class certificate at the Army School in September 1930 and a 2nd Class certificate in October the same year.
He was posted to the 2nd Battalion, King’s Regiment on 11 February 1931. This was based in England at that time.
He was then posted to the 1st Battalion on 4 March 1932 and was sent to India. This was initially in Jabalpur in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. During his time there he obtained a 1st Class certificate in October 1933. He undertook another course from 31 August 1934 to 28 February 1935. The battalion relocated to Landi Kotal, Khyber Pass, in 1937. This was in the volatile North-West Frontier
Edward was posted back to the King’s Regiment Depot on 26 November 1937 on his return from India, having spent nearly six years there. He was posted to the Reserves on 25 February 1938.
Edward married Hannah Lilian Wainwright at St Athanasius Church, Kirkdale in Liverpool on 2 January 1939.
Hannah was the daughter of John Wainwright and Mary Eleanor Minshull who had married on 16 December 1909 in West Derby District. John was born on 18 May 1880 and was a seaman. Mary was born on 23 November 1884. They seem to have had children in West Derby (probably Kirkdale) as follows: John 1910, Thomas 1911, Frederick S 1913, Frances 1916, Hannah Lilian 16 January 1917, Ellis 5 June 1919, Alice 15 May 1922 and Albert 7 July 1924.
After their marriage, in September 1939, Hannah L Roberts was living at 14 Sonning Avenue, Litherland. She was on her own but shown as married.
At this time, Edward’s father William was still living at 17 Percy Street, now with Jane. Only Mary Lilian was still living with them. At this time, Joan was living in at 18 Falkland Road, Southport with Normand D and Mary Maher and their child. Both were born in 1907 and Norman was a Director and Sales Manager of a Motor Engine Sales House. With them was a son born in 1936, a female servant and another unnamed child as well as Joan. Joan had been evacuated to Southport but it is understood that she did not stay there long.
Edward had only been in the reserves for about a year and a half before he was called up again for service on 26 August 1939 as WW2 was imminent. He was mobilised on 1 September 1939 and posted to the 2nd Battalion of the King’s Regiment two days later and sent overseas to Gibraltar. This is why he was not with his wife in September 1939.
They had a child called Edward D Roberts in late 1939 in Crosby district but sadly he died before the end of that year. It may be that Edward never saw him.
The 2nd Battalion had been in England for nearly a decade until it was sent to Gibraltar in 1938. They were part of the 1stGibraltar Brigade. Defence of Gibraltar was crucial in WW2 as it commanded the narrow entrance to the Mediterranean.
He was appointed as an Acting Unpaid Lance Corporal on 4 March 1940 and then awarded the pay for that rank from 10 May 1940. He was appointed to the rank of Acting Unpaid Corporal on 4 July 1941. On 25 July he was granted the pay for his rank, to apply retrospectively to the 4 July. On 2 October 1941 he was confirmed in the War Substantive rank of Corporal.
He left Gibraltar for the UK on 21 July 1942, disembarking in the UK on 31 July.
He was then posted to the 5th Battalion of the King’s Regiment on 1 August 1942 at Knaresborough.
He attended a course on Drill Equipment at Hornsea from 13 to 26 September 1942. He seems to have been learning about the 2lb Anti Tank Gun from the 66th Royal Artillery Anti Tank Regiment.
From 6 to 11 June 1943 he attended a course on Town Fighting at Devonport.
Edward and Hannah had another child called Frank on 24 January 1944 in Liverpool.
On 22 April 1944 Edward was appointed first to the rank of Unpaid Lance Sergeant and then immediately to the rank of Paid Lance Sergeant.
He embarked in the UK on 3 June 1944 and landed in France on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
For D-Day, the 5th and 8th Battalions of the King’s Regiment were selected to form the nucleus of the 5th and 7th Beach Groups which had the objectives of maintaining beach organisation, securing positions, and providing defence against counter-attack. This they did for six weeks but both were depleted by men being transferred to other units. Indeed, one complete platoon was transferred from the 5th Battalion King’s Regiment to the 1st South Lancashires on 30 July and a further two on 4 August.
Edward was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment on 31 July, 1944.
Following the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, the 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire regiment was in the 8th Infantry Brigade (which included the 1st Suffolk Regiment and 2nd East Yorkshire Regiment) attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, nicknamed Monty’s Ironsides. With this division, it landed at Sword Beach on D-Day and fought its way through Normandy, taking part in the battles for Caen and the Falaise Pocket.
From 16 to 18 September they moved in three stages through Belgium to reach Lille St Hubert, just south of the Dutch border, south of Eindhoven. Here they were to assist the East Yorkshire and Suffolk Regiments to make a bridgehead over the Escaut Canal which they crossed on 20 September to reach Hamont, just west of the Dutch border and then reaching Weert in the Netherlands by the 22nd, despite the Allied forces facing difficulties from bridges which had been destroyed.
They remained in this vicinity until 25 September when C Company moved eastward towards Schoor as part of a plan to clear the west bank of a canal which lay further east. The whole Battalion were expected to take part in this the following day, but it had been decided that they were to move to Maarheeze that day, so only C Company took part in this. Their progress was slow, so they were ordered to disengage and continue after the rest of the Battalion to Maarheeze. On 27 September they moved on again to reach Bakel which is just north east of Eindhoven. The following day they moved again slightly further north to Mortel to allow the American 7th Armoured Division to occupy the area at Bakel. The Americans were moving through to St Anthonis. The Battalion remained at Mortel until 1 October when they moved further north to Heumen which is just south of Nijmegen and north of Cuijk and then to nearby Mook on 3 October.
By this time, Operation Market Garden further to the north had failed to take the bridge at Arnhem. This left the Allies in a narrow corridor through the Netherlands. An attempt was made by the American 7th Armoured Division on 30 September to widen this by attacking Overloon from their position at St Anthonis to try to widen this corridor east to the River Maas, but this attack failed.
The 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment remained at Mook until 8 October when they moved south to Wanroij. It had been decided that the Americans were to withdraw and leave widening the corridor through Overloon, Venray and Venlo to the British. Initially, it was intended that the attack on Overloon would begin on 11 October. However, this was postponed until 12 October due to the very wet weather and ground conditions.
On 12 October the attack started at noon with a very heavy artillery barrage. The 2 East Yorks. led the attack on what was described as Dog Wood to the west of Overloon while the 1 Suffolks targeted Overloon itself. Both achieved their objectives by 1500 hours, but with some mopping up still to do. The 1 South Lancs. were initially held in reserve but at 1700 hours A and D Companies were ordered to advance to clear a remaining area with one troop of the 3 Grenadier Guards in support of each forward Company. They met very little opposition and by dusk were in position on the forward edge of a clearing to the west of Overloon. However, this was the day on which Edward Davenport Roberts was killed in action.
He had served in the Army for 14 years and 41 days of which 12 years and 223 days was on active service.
He was awarded the 1939/45 Star, the France & Germany Star and the Defence Medal.
The Liverpool Echo of 16 November 1944 included two notices of his death as follows:
“Roberts – Oct – in NW Europe L-Sergt. Edward Davenport the dearly loved husband of Ann (nee Wainwright) and daddy of baby Frank. (You are only one to all the world, but all this world to me. Never forgotten.) 14 Sonning Avenue, Ford”
“Roberts – Oct – NE Europe, L-Sergt. Edward Davenport, dearest brother of Lucy, Eda, Lila and Joan, brother in law of Fred, and loved uncle of Elaine and John. (We will remember him). – 34 Brooklands Avenue, Waterloo.”
His address given on his probate record was 14 Sonning Avenue, where Hannah was living in 1939 and still in 1944.
It seems that Edward’s son, young Frank Roberts, died in Liverpool South district aged just 4 in 1948.
Hannah L Roberts went on to marry Ronald R Sewart in Liverpool North district in 1964. She died in 1984 in Liverpool.
Edward’s father, William Roberts, died on 21 August 1963 in Liverpool and William’s wife, Jane, on 29 January 1966 in the Wirral.
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