Coleman, EC

Lieutenant Edward Charles Coleman

Born on September 5th 1891 in Essex, Edward was the younger of two sons of Edward Herbert Coleman and his wife Rachel. He started at Dulwich at the same time as his elder brother Herbert, and towards the end of his College career became a boarder in Ivyholme. In his final year he was an editor of The Alleynian, a member of the 2nd XV, as well as Captain of Fives, he was also Captain, and wicketkeeper, for the 1st XI cricket, a team which he was in for the fourth year running; after leaving he went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge. Whilst there he continued with his cricket, going on to play in three first-class matches, one for a combined Oxford & Cambridge XI against a combined Army and Navy team in the Summer of 1911, and two County Championship matches for Essex the following summer; despite this however he never earned his Cambridge ‘Blue’ in the sport. During this period he also became an army reservist, being a member of the Royal Field Artillery’s Reserve of Officers.
Once war was declared he signed up for full time service, and in early 1915 was promoted to Lieutenant, and towards the end of that year was sent abroad for the first time, proceeding to Egypt. After serving in Egypt for some time, Edward was transferred to the Macedonian Front, and was in the trenches near Salonica when he was killed on April 2nd 1917; he was survived by his widow Dorothy. His elder brother Herbert, a fellow OA, had fallen on the Somme the previous year.