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9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2001 - Page 0080

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Regiment 9th/12th Lancers
Year 2001
Transcription 80 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S)
Future Prime Minister’s Brother Dies
With 12th Royal Lancers
“This an account of the death of Lt john Eden 12L, elder brother of Sir Anthony Eden - Prime Minister. ”
dren of Sir William Eden of Windlestone‘, Ferry Hill, County
urham. The eldest of the Children was their only daughter
Marjoric but John was the eldest of the four sons John, Timothy,
Anthony and Nicholas. Lt John Eden enlisted into the 12th
Lancers having been educated at Eton and was a keen Polo play-
er prior to the outbreak of war. During his early career John
served with the Regiment in India and South Africa.
John Eden was born on 9th October 1888 one of the five chil-
He embarked with the Regiment on the outbreak of war sporting
a moustache and monocle, leaving his fiancee Pamela (Fitzgerald)
behind at Norwich station. John deployed with the British
Expeditionary Force on 15th August 1914 as a Troop Leader in B
Squadron, and one can presume that he would have been present
at the Regimental action at Moy on the 28th August 1914.
The Retreat from Mons ended at the beginning of the
September 1914. This was followed by a series of engagements,
which involved crossing the Rivers Marne and Aisne as the
allies pushed the Germans back
-j— II. North as they both raced for the
' seaports in France and Flanders. In
was during this pursuit not far from
Ypres 7 Belgium that Lt Eden was
killed.
The death of Lt Eden2 is well chron-
icled in the Regimental history, and
the diary of Capt Charrington, but
the complete story can be found
amongst the diaries of Cpl Snelling
and Pte Lawrence and the
Distinguished Conduct Medal cita-
tion of Cp1 Branch.
On3 the morning of 17th October
1914, C Squadron saddled up at
Grave of Pte Hart
-, a
'3
[fr-ӎ , -" ., "
at“?! ML
- ‘4 7- an
#rmtu :i'li..=r:tlvm:r.1 _
'n'é
5.30 am and took up an outpost line from GAPAARD to
GARDE DIEU and was instructed to put its patrols well for-
ward to watch the river Lys between COMINES and WARNE-
TON. B Squadron were sent forward to TENEBRIELEN4 also
with its patrols we11 forward.
The Belgium countryside was full of German cyclist and infantry
patrols, who laid up behind hedges and buildings. The countryside
was very enclose compared to the open fields of France. The terrain
was ideal for Defence and provided great advantage over mounted
men who had to stick to the roads, as each of the fields was bound-
ed either by deep and un-jumpable ditches and wire fences.
John Eden at NOlW/Ch Stat/on embark/Hg for Be/g/um
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