Edward George Saword – Royal Army Service Corps, 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company
Company Quartermaster Sergeant Edward George Saword – Royal Army Service Corps, 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company
Birth and Family Background
Edward George Saword was born in 1905 at Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He was the
son of James Edward Saword and Jennie (Mary) Jane Read,
who were married in 1888 at St Paul’s Church, Tower Hamlets, London.James Edward Saword and Jennie (Mary) Jane Read
marriage certificate
St Paul’s Church, Tower Hamlets, London
Early Life
1911 Census
At the time
of the 1911 Census, the Saword family were living at 53 Bournemouth
Park Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. James Edward Saword, aged 43
and born in London, was employed as a builder’s merchant, while his
wife, also London-born, was 40 years old. Their children were Daisy
Ethel, aged 20, a dressmaker; Sidney James, 17,
a clerk; Algernon Leslie, 15, an architect’s pupil;
Edith Olive, 12; Edward George, 6; and Alfred
Charles, 4, with the younger children attending school.
1921 Census
By the time
of the 1921 Census, the family had moved to 6 Spencer Square,
Ramsgate, Essex. James Edward Saword, now 53, was working as
a builder’s clerk, employed by Mr Sharman, builder, of Ramsgate,
while his wife, Mary Jane, aged 50, undertook the household
duties. Also residing in the household were their married daughter, Daisy
Ethel Langley, aged 31, and her husband Albert Osborne Langley,
28, a builder’s clerk employed by John B. Sharman, builder,
along with their daughter Sybil Joyce Langley, aged 1. Also
present were Edward George Saword, 16, working as an ironmonger’s
assistant for E. R. Dunn, Ramsgate, and Alfred Charles Saword,
15, employed as a junior clerk by the Medical Officer of
Health, Ramsgate. Two visitors were recorded in the household: Sidney
James Saword, 27, a preacher, and Emma Longcroft, 56,
who undertook household duties.
Marriage
In 1928,
Edward George Saword married May Swaffter at Thanet, Kent.
Residence at the Outbreak of War
By the
outbreak of the Second World War, Edward and his wife were living at 3
Myrtle Terrace, Mumbles.
Military Service
Edward
served in the Royal Army Service Corps as a Company Quartermaster
Sergeant, attached to 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company.
Death and Commemoration
Edward died
at sea between 26th and 27th April 1941. His name is commemorated
on the Athens Memorial, Greece, which honours Commonwealth servicemen who
have no known grave.
Royal Army Service Corps, 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company 26th–27th
April 1941
During April
1941, the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was heavily engaged in
supporting the British Expeditionary and Commonwealth forces in Greece,
particularly during the final stages of the campaign following the German
invasion. Transport units such as 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company
played a critical logistical role under increasingly chaotic and dangerous
conditions.
RASC medium
transport companies were responsible for the movement of supplies, fuel,
ammunition, equipment, and personnel, as well as the evacuation of
stores and vehicles during withdrawals. By mid to late April 1941, many
RASC units were no longer operating in a conventional supply role but were
instead engaged in emergency evacuation duties, including the
destruction of vehicles and stores that could not be removed and the
organisation of embarkation for personnel.
As German
forces advanced rapidly through mainland Greece, RASC personnel were ordered to
withdraw south toward evacuation ports, including Piraeus, Nauplia,
Kalamata, and smaller improvised embarkation points. Units were frequently broken
up, with men embarking in mixed drafts rather than intact companies,
often boarding whatever transport was available.
On 26th–27th
April 1941, RASC soldiers were among those embarked aboard troopships,
requisitioned merchant vessels, and naval auxiliaries taking part in the
evacuation to Crete and Egypt. These voyages took place under constant
German air attack, particularly from dive-bombers operating over the
Aegean Sea. Many ships sailed with minimal escort, and losses were severe.
As a Company
Quartermaster Sergeant, Edward George Saword would have held a senior
non-commissioned role responsible for stores, equipment accountability,
and personnel administration. Senior NCOs in such roles were often among
the last to leave, ensuring that men were embarked, records secured or
destroyed, and equipment rendered unusable if it could not be evacuated. This
frequently placed quartermasters and transport NCOs aboard late sailings,
which were among the most vulnerable.
The fact
that Edward is recorded as having died at sea between 26th and 27th
April 1941, and is commemorated on the Athens Memorial, strongly
indicates that he was lost during the final evacuation phase from Greece,
rather than in ground fighting. This pattern closely matches that of many RASC
casualties from the Greek campaign, whose deaths are recorded without a named
ship due to the destruction of records and the loss of entire drafts at sea.Edward George Saword
Athens Memorial, Greece
credit - findagrave
No
surviving nominal roll or embarkation list has yet been identified that
places 308 Reserve Medium Transport Company aboard a specific vessel on
these dates. This absence is typical of RASC units in Greece, where
embarkations were frequently undocumented or records were lost during
evacuation or sinking.
Later Reference
In August
1943, the Herald of Wales reported an “error” in an education
case, during which Edward was recorded as “missing.” Herald of Wales
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