TREADWELL, Edward Jabez Cooper
| Service Number: | 959 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 October 1916, Melbourne |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
| Born: | Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, February 1895 |
| Home Town: | St Kilda East, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Melbourne C of E Grammar School; Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Printer and Publisher |
| Died: | Walked into an Aeroplane propeller, Military Hospital, Prees Heath, Salop, (Shropshire), England, 20 September 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Tilstock (Christ Church) Churchyard Extension, Shropshire, England 17, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Melbourne Grammar School WW1 Fallen Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Oct 1916: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), Driver, 959, 3rd Motor Transport Company, Melbourne | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 1916: | Promoted Australian Army (Post WW2), Lance Corporal, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps | |
| 17 Jan 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 959, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Omrah embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 17 Jan 1917: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 959, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, RMS Omrah, Melbourne | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement 959, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 959 awm_unit: No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps awm_rank: Cadet awm_died_date: 1917-09-20 |
Help us honour Edward Jabez Cooper Treadwell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Son of Edward Cooper TREADWELL and Mary Jane DAWSON
EDWARD JABEZ COOPER TREADWELL who died as the result of an aeroplane accident at a military hospital in England on 20th September 1917 was the eldest son of Mr. E. C. Treadwell. He was born in 1896 and was at School from 1909 to 1913. He was a Prefect and in the football teams of 1912 and 1913 and in the athletic team of 1913. He went into business with his father.
From the day war broke out " Treddy," as we all knew him, was keen to enlist. At first, he was prevented by family reasons. In April 1915, however, he obtained his father's consent, but he could not pass the medical test. He was a Lieutenant in the Citizen Forces, and longed to do some service, but on three occasions he failed to pass. However, after being appointed A.D.C. to the State Commandant, he managed to get into the Motor Transport, but after a week in camp the trouble which had held him back developed again. He managed to get a transfer to the Flying Corps, and after training at Laverton he sailed for England.
In August he passed a severe examination at Oxford and went to an aerodrome at Castle Bromich, near Birmingham. There he had lessons in flying, and as he progressed was moved to different
aerodromes to successively learn the higher rudiments. The month he was killed he went up solo, lost his bearings, and knowing his petrol was fast giving out, picked a spot and made a successful landing in a field in which there were horses, cattle and sheep. Killed one of the latter, but otherwise no damage was done.
Lawrence Benjamin (3987), his old School mate, who was his officer at Market Drayton, writes thus : "Ted and I were at School together and were comrades in camp, afterwards as Citizen Force officers. We separated then, and you can imagine our delight in coming together at this aerodrome. On the fatal morning I was showing him how to run up the engine of a machine I was going to test, called a
Sopwith Bomber. He was keen to see it all from the pilot's seat and stood on the wings to watch it done. I tested the engine, which was satisfactory, then `throttled down' and asked him to get off it, as I was going to test it in the air. He got to the ground, seemed to stumble, and apparently did not hear the mechanics calling out to him, for he walked straight into the revolving propeller.
There is one blessing that he suffered no pain, and died almost immediately. He died the death he would have wished to die, namely, as a soldier on active service. We buried him the next day at a pretty little country cemetery near the hospital at Prees Heath,
Wychbury, with full military honours."
Biography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Edward Jabez Cooper Treadwell was born at Ascot Vale, Victoria in 1895.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 12th October, 1916 as a 21 year old Printer & Publisher from St. Kilda, Victoria.
Edward Jabez Cooper Treadwell was posted to 3rd Company, A.A.M.T. as Driver on 19th October, 1916.
He was transferred to No. 4 Squadron, A.F.C. (Australian Flying Corps) as Lance Corporal on 26th October, 1916.
Lance Corporal Edward Jabez Cooper Treadwell embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on 17th January, 1917 & was marched in from Australia to A.F.C. (Australian Flying Corps) Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire on 27th March, 1917.
On 6th July, 1917 Lance Corporal Treadwell was on Command at Cadet Battalion, Oxford & posted as Air Mechanic 2nd Class (2/A.M.).
He died around 9 am on 20th September, 1917 at Military Hospital, Prees Heath, Salop, (Shropshire), England from injuries sustained in an aeroplane accident.
A Court of Inquiry was held into the death of Cadet Treadwell & they found that in "stepping off the machine accidentally came in contact with the propeller, which struck him and caused his death."
Cadet Edward Jabez Cooper Treadwell was buried in Christ Church Churchyard Extension, Tilstock, Shropshire, England where 3 other Australian Flying Corp men are buried.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/tilstock.html
Click images to start slideshow.