Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.

Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.

Detail :

The news of his death was reporting in the Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough 16th August, 1915: " LIEUT E.W. PEARSON KILLED. News has been received in West Hartlepool that Lieut. E.W. Pearson, of the 42nd East Lancashire Territorials, has been killed in action at the Dardenelles. Lieut Pearson, who was 36 years of age, resided at 82, Elwick-road, and was only married in March last. He first enlisted in the Durham "Pals'" Battalion, and, after receiving his commission, was attached to the 6th Manchester Regiment. Lieut. Pearson was keenly interested in the Boy Scout movement at West Hartlepool and acted as secretary and as scoutmaster of the local organisation. He was on the clerical staff of Messrs Richardsons, Westgarth, and Co. at Hartlepool for about twelve years, and was a member of St. Helen's Lodge of Freemasons."

Masonic :

In the register of St. Helen's Lodge he is noted as a 24 year old Clerk of Whitburn Street, Hartlepool. One year of war service is noted before the contribution record is closed out "Killed on Active Service."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley