Friends of Hastings Cemetery
On 18 December 1889, Edmund (by now Sergeant-
In 1899, Edmund wished to go to South Africa to take part in the Boer War, but this was declined and he was sent to a depot at Warrington.
Edmund retired as a regular soldier with The Rifle Brigade 0n 2 November 1901, following which (retaining the rank of Quartermaster and Honorary Captain) he joined the 1st Cinque Ports Volunteer Rifle Corps, which became part of the 5th Battalion (Cinque Ports) of the Royal Sussex Regiment on 1 April 1908.
In 1911, Edmund was one of four members of the 5th Battalion selected to receive the medal struck to commemorate the coronation of King George V.
Death and commemoration
The 5th Battalion was a reserve battalion comprised of volunteers who were held in readiness to reinforce the regular army in the event of war. When war was declared in August 1914, the battalion was mustered at Hastings, to be trained to take their place in the front line.
In November 1914, Edmund was on duty with the Royal Sussex Regiment at the Tower of London when he was taken ill and admitted to hospital. He died at his home in Hastings on 25 November. The death certificate gives the cause of death as prostatic hypertrophy (enlarged prostate) and acute rising nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys).
In the Battalion Orders issued on Thursday 26 November, Lieut.-
Major Teed has been Quartermaster of the Battalion since 2nd November 1901, and during the whole of that time he devoted himself unsparingly to the interest of the Regiment. Up to the last, his devotion to his duties upon active service was undoubtedly the cause of his fatal illness. Major Teed may honestly be said to have spent his entire life in the service of his country.
…he has worn His Majesty’s uniform with credit to himself, and in doing so has earned the respect of all those who have served with him. All ranks will regret that Major Teed’s dearest wish could not be fulfilled, which was to go to the Front with the Imperial Service Battalion.
Edmund was honoured with a full military funeral on Monday 30 November and was interred at Hastings Borough Cemetery. His grave has since been lost and he is commemorated in Hastings Cemetery on Screen Wall. K. C. D1.
Later family history
Charlotte never re-
Minnie died in Worthing in June 1957, aged 78; it is not clear if she ever married, but by 1924, she had the surname Nield. At the time of her mother’s death in 1947, she was referred to as a spinster, but on her own death, she was described as a widow.
Lottie never married and died in Worthing in 1964, aged 81.
The youngest daughter, Helen, married Charles Kingsley Kirby in 1918.