Edward sailed from Canada on November 1, 1916 arriving in Liverpool on November 11, 1916.
He transferred to the 36th Battalion and subsequently to the 3rd Reserve Battalion.
In January of 1917 Edward joined the 19th Battalion. He was killed in action on April 9, 1917 while serving with the 19th Battalion.
Edward was killed on the day of the initial assault on Vimy Ridge.
The 19th Battalion saw action in the 2nd Division’s first major operation at the St Eloi craters in April 1916. The result was a disaster. The Canadians had relieved an exhausted British division in a series of mine craters and then suffered a devastating German counter-attack before they could properly consolidate their positions. The 19th Battalion entered the crater sector on 7–8 April as part of 4th Brigade’s relief of the battered 6th Brigade. Heavy fighting ensued from 9 to 11 April as the 19th participated in counter-attacks to dislodge the Germans from the craters. Throughout the fighting, Canadian efforts were hampered by inaccurate intelligence, which misidentified a number of the craters and resulted in poorly coordinated attacks that failed to achieve their objectives. Officers and men floundered from one massive shell hole and crater to another, and frequently lost their way in the bewildering quagmire.
