Brookwood Military Cemetery

August 08, 2020

Brookwood Military Cemetery - Edwin Ball

This blog is going to be in two halves!

Brookwood Cemetery was established in 1851, covering 500 acres. It was conceived by the London Necropolis Company in 1849. The cemetery was to provide the space, to bury the Capital’s deceased.

1852, the cemetery owner, the London Necropolis Company, was incorporated in an act of Parliament. The Bishop of Winchester, Charles Sumner, consecrated the cemetery, on 7^th November 1853, with the first funeral on the 13^th. Today, Brookwood Cemetery, now Grade I site is largest cemetery in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest in Europe. There are 235,000 burials

Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey. It covers, 37 acres and is the large Commonwealth Cemetery in the United Kingdom. The land was set out during the First World War, to provide a burial site for men and women who served with the Commonwealth and Americans who died in the United Kingdom from wounds received.

The military cemetery now contains, 1,601 burials dating from the First World War, with 3,476 dating from the Second World War. There are an addition 786 non-Commonwealth war graves.

The First World War connection is the grave of Edwin Ball. Edwin Anthony Ball.

Ball, who was born 1883, the last census, where he is living with his family is 1891. The family were residing at 26 Montpellier Terrace, Swansea

1891 Census
5th April

By the time of the 1901 census, Ball, is a boarder residing with a family at 9 Victoria Crescent, Newport. He is occupation is listed as a sailor.

1901 Census
31st March

The next we see of him, is his Attestation Papers, of 1916. Now, Ball, has recorded his occupation as a gardener. His address if 65 Park Street, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. His has recorded that he was born in Swansea, Mrs Edwin Ball, who resided at 47 Oaklands Road, Mumbles, Swansea.