SERVICE PERSON RESEARCH
SERVICE PERSON DETAILS
Service Person’s
Name
Edward Manning William Law
Rank
Private
Service Number
1000
Regiment/Unit or
Ship or Squadron
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Family Details
Age at Enlistment
31st Battalion, D company
Not known
Collingwood, Victoria
Only child of Thomas and Florence Law
19 years 1 month (enlistment papers) 18 years (actual age)
Place of Enlistment
Brisbane
Date of Death
21 July 1916
Place of Death
Pope’s Hill
Cemetery or
Memorial Name
Grave or Memorial
Number
Villers-Bretonneux Mémorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France
Not known
PHOTO:
Source: Jones. F. 2013, WWI Pictorial Honour Roll of Queenslanders - Edward Manning William Law
http://qld.ww1anzac.com/la.html (accessed 6 March 2015).
SERVICE PERSON’S STORY/EULOGY:
Prepared by Ayla Tartic
Edward Manning William Law was born in Collingwood, Victoria. He is the third child of Thomas and
Florence Law. His religion is stated to be the Church of England and prior to serving the country, Edward
worked as a clerk.
Law enlisted, with his father’s permission, in Brisbane on 29 July 1915; his 18th birthday. He weighed 59
kilos and measured 165cm. At the time of enlistment, Edward resided on Taylor Street in Swan Hill,
Brisbane. Unfortunately he was never married, dying at the extremely young age of 19. Edward was part of
the 31st Battalion.
The 31st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force was made with two companies from Queensland and two
companies from Victoria and based at Broadmeadows in Victoria. Edward embarked, along with his unit
from Melbourne, Victoria on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on 9 November 1915 and disembarked on 7
December of the same year at Suez Canal; an artificial sea-level canal in Egypt, connecting the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Initially, his unit was assigned to defending the Suez Canal against the
Turks before they moved to France to fight on the Western Front.
He served for Australia on the Western Front. Having only entered the front-line trenches three days
beforehand, Edward’s battalion fought its first key battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916. It proved to be a
significantly catastrophic start to battle as the battalion suffered 572 casualties; over half of its strength.
While spending periods in the front line, the 31st played no major offensive role for the rest of the year.
On 21 May 1916, Law was found guilty of being absent from band parade on the 19th of the same month
and was reprimanded by Captain Mills. Edward embarked from Alexandria to become part of the British
Expeditionary Force on 16 June 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles, France on 23 June 1916.
During the Tattoo Roll Call on 6 July 1916, he was found guilty of being absent and was punished to 4 days’
confined to barracks by Captain Mills. Law was in killed in action in France, on 21 July 1916, a day after his
19th birthday. It is believed that he was buried in the vicinity of Fleurbaise in France.
He was later awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
AIF Project 2015, Edward Manning William LAW, https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=171561
(accessed 6 March 2015)
Australian War Memorial 2015, 31st Australian Infantry Battalion, https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51471/
(accessed 6 March 2015)
Australian War Memorial 2015, Roll of Honour: Edward Manning William Law,
https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1640702/ (accessed 6 March 2015)
Jones. F. 2013, WWI Pictorial Honour Roll of Queenslanders - Edward Manning William Law
http://qld.ww1anzac.com/la.html (accessed 6 March 2015)
National Archives of Australia Recordsearch 2015, LAW Edward Manning William: Service Number - 1000
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp (accessed 6 March 2015)