2nd Lieutenant Edward Felix Baxter VC

Second Lieutenant Baxter was an officer in the 8th (Irish) Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his great bravery during a raid on a German trench near Blairville on the night of 17th/18th April 1916. The raiding party approached the enemy trench and Baxter was assisting in the cutting of wire, but at the same time holding a grenade with the pin out. But the grenade fell and he had to act fast to avoid an explosion which would have alerted the Germans only a few yards away. He quickly unscrewed the base of the bomb, extracted the detonator and buried it in the earth. Later he was the first man into the enemy trench, shooting the sentry and throwing grenades into the dug-outs. When the raiders left, he was the last man to leave the trench but was never seen again. Search parties looked for him without success.
Edward Felix Baxter was born in Stourbridge, Worcs on 18 Sep 1885. His father was Charles Albert Baxter, a miller and corn merchant, and his mother was Beatrice Anita née Sparrow. The family moved around; Hartlebury in 1891 and Kidderminster in 1901. Edward, the second of five children, was educated at a grammar school in Hartlebury, and Christ’s Hospital, Horsham. He worked as a bank clerk and Chief Commercial Master at Skerry’s College, Liverpool. He married Leonora Mary Cornish on 24 Feb 1906 and had a daughter the next year. He was a keen biker and took part in races including the Isle of Man TT Race of 1910.
Edward enlisted in the RE on 4 Sep 1914, promoted to sergeant as a dispatch rider. He was commissioned into the 8th Irish Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment on 17 Sep 1915 and went to France where he was appointed bombing officer. He was popular with the men and inspired them with his leadership. After the raid he was missing but the Germans buried him in the churchyard of Boiry St Rictrude and St Martin. This was confirmed on 15 May 1916. In 1925 his remains were removed to Fillievres British Cemetery near Hesdin, France. His widow, Leonora, received his medal from the King at Buckingham Palace on 29 Nov 1916.

Regimental Details | Soldiers