Edmond was born in Stoke-on-Trent and resided in Greenheys, Lancashire. He joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and served in the 2nd battalion. In September 1918 he would find himself at Kemmel near Ypres. On the 28th September at 5:25am the dispositions of the battalions strength was 19 officers and 373 other ranks + no 2 fighting patrol 2/4th queens (strength 2 officers and 60 others ranks) and A Company of the 2/4th Queens who are shown on map W1. No2 Patrol Queens on the right flank with C Company LNLR in close support. B Company LNLR and A Company Queens in centre. No 3 fighting patrol LNLR and D Company LNLR in close support. A Company LNLR in reserve. 5:25am our artillery put down a barrage on our own SOS line at 5:30am barrage lifted 100 yards every 3 minutes until 5:33am. From 5:33am to 6:42am artillery bombardment area of Wytschaete and Wytschaete Wood with lethal gas + smoke shell. At 5:30am No 2 & 3 patrols having advanced forward close under the barrage. At 5:40am No 2 patrol entered Warsaw Crater while C Company LNLR swept around Eastern Lip from North to South charging 2 Machine Guns and bombing the enemy before they could emerge from their dug outs. No 2 patrol captured enemy. C Company charged 2 machine guns whos crews were killed except 3 who were captured and 31 enemy on the South East Lip. 2 platoons of C Company then advanced 100 yards due East of Warsaw Crater and occupied + consolidated Blue Line North of Suicide Road. On the left No 3 patrol under Lt J Spencer and 2 Lt E R Scholfield advanced and rushed enemy post of 7 killing 1 and capturing the remainder on the Broad Gorge Railway, they then followed the barrage up to the Spur and Unnamed Wood capturing 42 enemy and killing 8. The enemy were completely overcome by this rapid advance and had nothing to offer any serious resistance. Blue Line was then consolidated from Unnamed Wood on the left from Petit Bois to Warsaw Crater on the right. B Company pushed forward in section to Petit Bois and captured a few prisoners. At 7:45 am the enemy put down a barrage on our jumping off trench caused a few casualties. B Company also suffered casualties as they advanced on the low ground East of Petit Bois. A slight enemy counter attack at Unnamed Wood was easily beaten off. Right flank and centre were unable to make any headway from Blue Line owing to the accurate + severe fire which countered every movement and compelled us to withdraw our right flank 100 yards at Warsaw Crater. At 1pm information was received that British Troops were in Wytschaete Village. Attempts were then made to go forward which failed due to the Machine Guns in Wytschaete Wood. At 4pm the whole of B Company had gone through in small parties into Wytschaete Wood and had driven away enemy snipers from the Northern Position. At 6:05pm orders were received to attack Wytschaete Village from the North commencing at 7pm at which time the artillery bombardment would commence lasting 15 minutes. Owing to the scattered dispositions of the company they were unable to form up at Black Cottage until 7:20pm but A Company Queens were delayed until 10pm by wire + darkness so were kept at Black Cottage in reserve. At 7:15pm Hospice was captured by B Company LNLR + consolidated this allowed the remainder of 2nd LNLR A, C & D Company to press through in artillery formation. The dark night enabled them to get within 10 yards of the enemy. Posts in Green Lane near Somer Farm one hostile Machine Gun was captured. The battalion lost 12 men that day of which 9 are buried in Wytschaete Military Cemetery and 3 are commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing. Among these was Edmond Whitehead who has a grave at Wytschaete Military Cemetery.

Included is Edmonds Medal Index Card, Medal Roll, Memorial Transcript, 1901 and 1911 Census, War Diary, Grave Picture, Newspaper Clipping, Map of the attack and other information.

30902 Edmond Whitehead

Killed in action 28th September 1918

2nd Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Buried at Wytschaete Military Cemetery