ALBERT EDRIDGE

Lieutenant Albert (Bertie) Edridge was an old boy of Christ's College, the oldest private school in Christchurch. He had been born in Invercargill in 1888, and at some stage his family moved to Bligh's Road in Papanui. His school record from 1902-1908 shows that he was an undistinguished scholar, but a capable footballer, being a member of the First XV for 1907 and 1908. Prior to the war, he was a sheep farmer at Cheviot in North Canterbury. He enlisted in August 1914, was posted to the machine gun section of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles and sailed with the Main Body, where he was sent to Gallipoli. He was wounded in the right thigh and buttock on 17 June 1915 and sent to England for treatment. He recovered, returned to Egypt and in March 1916 he was promoted to Trooper Sergeant in the Machine Gun Squadron of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. In October 1916 he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and spent the early part of 1917 in the School of Instruction. He returned to his unit in August 1917 and after a period at a rest camp on Port Said in October 1917, he rejoined the Mounted Rifles for Allenby's assault on Jerusalem. He was killed in action near Amman in Syria on 30 March 1918, and is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial. He left his life insurance policy to his fiancée, Ursula Grace, of Blenheim, and the rest of his estate (valued at £9000 – about $2.7 million today) to his surviving brothers and sisters. In addition to being commemorated at Papanui, he is also commemorated on the war memorial at Cheviot.

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