PRIVATE 13873 EDGAR (TEDDY) BRADLEY HODGSON, 9th BATTALION WEST RIDING REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY).


PRIVATE 13873 EDGAR (TEDDY) BRADLEY HODGSON, 9th BATTALION WEST RIDING REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY). KILLED IN ACTION 19th NOVEMBER 1915


Edgar Bradley Hodgson was born and raised in Lincoln. Just before the start of the war he had been working for a Mr S de Lacy who owned hairdressers on Wells Road and Leeds Road. Twenty two year old Edgar, known as 'Teddy', joined the Ilkley Pals company of the 9th Duke of Wellingtons Regiment in August 1914. On Sunday morning. 7th November 1915, the regiment was occupying reserve trenches behind the front line on the Ypres salient, when Teddy was hit by a stray bullet. The round entered through his left arm and lodged in his lung, the wound proved fatal and he was buried near to where he fell that same evening. A fellow Ilkley Pal, Corporal Arthur Harland, wrote "..Teddy was a fine and noble comrade ...respected by all the platoon". During subsequent fighting Teddy's grave was destroyed and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Edgar Hodgson is remembered on the Ilkley War Memorial (Where he is called Edward) and Lincoln War Memorial.

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