MYSTERY MAN
Edward James Biddles - 56th Battalion

Edward James Biddles enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in November 1915. A labourer from Sydney he listed his mother Annie Marie Pickup of Kensington as next of kin.

Assigned service number 5044 he left Sydney as a member of the 4th battalion onboard the Makarini. Upon arriving in the Middle East he transferred to the newly created 56th battalion and proceeded to a position along the Suez Canal .

In June the battalion left for France , seeing action for the first time on July 19 at Fromelles. During the attacks Edward began to suffer from shell shock and on the 22nd was sent to hospital.

His condition didn't improve and he spent the rest of the year going in and out of hospital, even returning to England for a period to receive further treatment. By November he hadn't got any better and it was decided to send him home to Australia , where he was discharged as medically unfit.

He then spent a period of time in a convalescent home in Moss Vale before moving back in with his mother. After spending a great deal of time working with injured and other disabled soldiers, Edward Biddles passed away in 1959 and is buried in the Field of Mars cemetery, Sydney .

Research notes

1) It seems Edward Biddles is a bit of a mystery man. I believe he changed his name from Pickup to Biddles (his paternal grandmother's maiden name) upon enlistment for reasons unknown. However, there is no listing on the NSW BDM for his birth as either Edward J Biddles or Edward J Pickup, despite his enlistment papers saying he was born in Arncliffe NSW.

2) Edward's date of birth as listed upon his enlistment papers (b1891) doesn't match the one upon his tombstone (b1896).

3) Edward's mother married Edward Pickup in 1882, he passed in 1913.

Photos:

1) Edward's grave at Field of Mars.

2) Edward's headstone at Field of Mars.

I would like to thank Suzanne Roberts, Wayne Vost and members of DPS-Sydney for their help with this memorial.