Capt Myles' Story

The sad story of a brave East London man.

Edgar Kinghorn Myles was born in July 1894 in East Ham. As a boy he moved with his family to Blake Hall Crescent, Wanstead. He went to East Ham Council School, Shrewsbury Rd and thence to East Ham Technical College, which, some years later became East Ham Grammar School. The School opened in 1905, when he was 11 and it's therefore likely that he was in the first entry year. After School, around 1910 I guess, he became a Clerk for the Port of London Authority.

On 20 August 1914 he enlisted as a private in the 9th Bn. Worcs. Regt. In November of that year he was commissioned as a temporary 2nd Lt. and became a Capt in 1917. He served in Gallipoli from August 1915 to January 1916 before being transferred to Mesopotamia in March 1916. He stayed there until April 1918.

He saw action, was twice wounded and was present at the attempted Relief of Kut. On 9th April 1916 at Sanni-I-Yat, Mesopotamia, now in Iraq, he was awarded a VC:
 "For most conspicuous bravery. He went out alone on several occasions in front of our advanced trenches and, under heavy rifle fire, and at great personal risk, assisted wounded men lying in the open. On one occasion he carried in a wounded officer to a place of safety under circumstances of great danger".
On 25 January 1917 at Kut-al-Amara, Mesopotamia he gained a DSO. The recommendation for DSO was originally intended to be for a second VC, but Lt Gen. Sir S Maud, GOC Troops at Kut did not want to set a precedent - a double VC was unknown at the time. The citation reads:
"When all the officers except two had become casualties, he, for five hours, inspired confidence in the defence against two counter-attacks also sending back most accurate and valuable reports of the situation. His courage and fine example were largely responsible for the steadiness of all ranks with him".

He stayed in the Army until March 1928, having gained other medals - all are now in the Worcs. Regimental Museum. What happened to him after that I don't know but, in 1939, he became an Air Raid Warden in Leyton and then Islington. He rejoined the Army in April 1939 but was retired in January 1940, when he was about 46 years old. He married in 1947 at Hatfield when he was 53 or so.

Again I'm not sure what happened next, but years later he was found destitute living in a converted railway carriage accompanied only by a dog. He was admitted to the Huntley Royal British Legion Home in Bishopsteighton, Devon where he died aged 82 in early 1977. He was cremated and his ashes scattered. There is no memorial tablet. RIP.

These details were given to me by Tom Johnson BEM, a fellow VC enthusiast, far more expert than I.

Iain Stewart, another VC enthusiast who supplied the above photo, visited the Huntley RBL Home in April 2002. This is what he wrote:

I visited the Officers Association Country Home Huntley in Bishopsteignton, a few miles from where I live, and they confirmed he became a resident in the home as early as 1964, until he died in 1977. The Home has been in existence for over fifty years and is quite an astonishing place. It reminded me of one of those old fashioned 5-star hotels of the thirties, the dining room set for lunch with crisp white linen tablecloths, silver cutlery etc. The gardens are magnificent, facing over the estuary of the River Teign.

The life of Edgar Myles was researched by Stephen Pewsey and Wanstead historian Brian Page a few years ago. The work was subsequently published as a booklet by Troy Novant Press called 'Most Conspicuous Bravery'.

In 2005 former pupils tried to get some sort of memorial plaque put up in his honour. At the time of writing, this is proving very difficult due to the fact that this sort of thing doesn't seem to be within any Newham department's sphere of interest.

In late December 2005 the following photo was sent to me by Ian Newson, a current family member. It came from his family album. Ian wrote:

"The original photo is glued onto the album page,  so if there is any caption i.e., date it was taken,  it is unobtainable.  I had to manoeuvre the album about a bit to get the photo lined up.   In the middle row in front of Edgar,  from left to right,  are,  his mother  Agnes,  sister Winifred,  and unknown girl, (though she seems to have a family likeness).  In front is sister Ethel." (Comment by JB: I think that I can just make out a single medal ribbon on the tunic. This must be his VC and the picture was therefore taken after he won that medal and before his DSO, i.e. between 9th April 1916 and 25 January 1917).

There is a section about him on the Worcestershire Regiment web site at Myles

On 26th May 2010 the Newham Recorder announced that a memorial plaque to both Edgar Myles VC and Jack Cornwell VC had been unveiled at the Miller's Well pub in the Barking Road, almost opposite the Town Hall. The article published the left hand photo. Later, Robin Sharp sent the right hand one showing the two on either side of the War Memorial in Central Park.

 

  

The article read:

"A MEMORIAL dedicated to two war heroes has been unveiled at an East Ham pub.

It was dedicated at the Millers Well in Barking Road to two local Victoria Cross recipients, Jack Cornwell and Edgar Myles.

The event was organised by Bob Stokes and Andy Browne, custodians of the memorial.

Royal British Legion padre Fred Ashford-Okal gave a small service and blessed everyone who attended including Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales.

Representatives of the Legion in East Ham and District also attended.

Full story by Kay Atwal in this week's Recorder"

 

In June 2010 Robin Sharp sent me a copy of a Fleet Street of EM in about 1939 when he was an Air Raid Officer at the start of WW2. Below is the photo, and the message on the reverse.

Robin also added that he had been able to consult the 1911 census with some more details about the family. He writes:
"On the night of 2nd/3rd April 1911, the family are still at 147 Milton Avenue and Edgar is working as a junior clerk at the Port of London Authority (as we knew). Additional details: the middle names of Edgar's family, his sister's occupation and includes the info that his father's middle name would seem to be Kinghorn too (though the transcriber has misread this!). Edgar's birth year is also inaccurate."

Jim Briggs
EHGS 1944-51

Updated 27 Oct 2010