Edward William Hyner: Wednesday 28th July 1915
Edward enlisted as private 4634 in the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays/Troop). He rose to Sergeant. His regiment was part of the British Expeditionary Force, “the Old Contemptibles” and Edward may well have fought in France. Unfortunately, his records do not survive, so we cannot be sure. The Queens Bays had been based in Aldershot until they left for France in Autumn 1914, and he may have been in their home base or on leave when he died. He died in Farnham aged 33 and is buried at Farnham Upper Hale Cemetery.
Edward was born in Holborn. He had been a Sergeant in the Household Cavalry of the Line (including Yeomanry and Imperial Camel Corp) in 1901. Ex-servicemen were prime recruits to the Prison Service and by 1911 he was an assistant Warder at Feltham. By the outbreak of War, he had become a Warder at Wandsworth Prison.
He was married to Florence Elizabeth and they baptised Gwendoline Hilda on 22 April 1914 and on 19 March 1916, Frances Joyce at SMM. As a Prison Warder Edward and his wife Florence would have lived in the Prison Quarters. Edward was probably in the reserve and would have been called up at the outbreak of war. After Edward’s death, Florence remained at Upper Hale Farnham.
Edward was one of three Warders from Wandsworth Prison killed in the Great War. Of the other two, Charles Strickland is commemorated on SMM Memorial, but John Upton is not. In 1928 these men both had roads named in their honour when the Prison Housing Estate was developed, but Edward did not. This may be down to the fact that perhaps he died in England, not in action, or perhaps was not considered local, due to being relatively new to the area.