An article sent to me from Ian Hook of the Essex Museum struck me as very poignant. Although not of Norfolk origin it seemed right that it should be included on this page which after all is about many men of many counties.

From an article dated October 6th, 1984. Written by Lester Cowling of the Evening Telegraph,Kettering. I took the following facts:

Charles William Ward was already in his late forties when WW1 broke out and therefore too old to go to the front. He didn't give in there though as he joined the war effort as an ambulance attendant with the Royal Army Medical Corps. On the 13th August 1915 he found himself heading for the Dardanelles to attend to any casualties.

He remembered that it was a sunny Saturday morning when the torpedo struck. He was sucked under the water but was pulled to safety, barely conscious, by a friend who was also from Kettering who managed to get him to a lifeboat. Sadly, the effort of all this was too much for the friend and he died from the exertion.

Charles William Ward never forgot this act of bravery, and also the fact that he had been saved by someone who had taken an interest in swimming.

As a result he donated the "Royal Edward Works" cup, to be competed for annually by teams from Kettering firms. His idea was to encourage interest in swimming, knowing that it had saved his life and could save others.

The cup was first presented in 1922 and was well supported and a major feature of the annual gala. By 1983, however, only two teams competed. I wonder if new interest has been taken in it since?

The name of the man who saved Charles William Ward is unknown, but Charles lived until he was 91 years old and every night until his death he used to wake with nightmares about the explosion.

I disagree with only one point regarding the above, and that is the fact that 13th August, when the Royal Edward went down, was a Friday not a Saturday, but one can easily imagine how the passing of the years can play tricks. It was a case of"Friday 13th" being the unlucky day that we all talk about, but hope never effects us. In this case it was the unluckiest day for many hundreds of young British soldiers and the families who lost them.