Philip Stanley Edwards – Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry

Corporal Philip Stanley Edwards – Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry

Birth and Family Background

John Edwards and Ruth e Morgans
marriage certificate
St. Matthew’s Church, Swansea

Philip Stanley Edwards was born in 1894 in Swansea. He was the son of John Edwards and Ruth e Morgans, who were married in 1886 at St. Matthew’s Church, Swansea. In his youth, Philip was a chorister at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett, reflecting close ties to church and community life.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census provides the only surviving census record for Philip Stanley Edwards. At this time, the Edwards family were living at Morgan’s Row, Forest Fach, near Swansea. Ruth Edwards (50) was recorded as widowed, heading a household shaped by the local coal industry. Her children listed were David James (20), employed as a coal miner assistant repairer; Philip Stanley (17), working as a coal miner hewer; and William Thomas (15), a coal cleaner (above ground). Also present were son-in-law Oliver Edwards (24), a coal miner hewer; his wife Hannah Elizabeth (22); and their infant daughter Olive Iris, aged one month. The household composition highlights the heavy dependence on coal mining employment in Forest Fach and the surrounding Swansea district at the time.

Emigration to Canada

Franconia Passenger List 

In 1913, Philip Stanley Edwards emigrated to Canada, departing from Liverpool aboard the steamship Franconia. He arrived at Portland on 4^th June 1913, with his final destination recorded as Minto.

Military Service

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Philip enlisted in the Canadian forces and attained the rank of Corporal. He served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment), one of Canada’s most distinguished units, which saw continuous front-line service from the earliest days of the war.

Death from Wounds

Corporal Philip Stanley Edwards died on 21^st September 1916 at No. 1 Canadian General Hospital, having sustained gunshot wounds to the head during operations on the Western Front. His death occurred during a period of intense fighting, when Canadian units were suffering heavy casualties.

Burial and Commemoration

Philip Stanley Edwards is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France, one of the largest Commonwealth cemeteries of the First World War.

His life traces a journey from industrial Swansea and the coalfields of South Wales, to emigration and service in Canada, and finally to the battlefields of France, where he gave his life while serving with one of Canada’s most renowned regiments