19 November 1915

SUVLA - Second Lieutenant Edmund Priestman, 6th York and Lancaster Regiment, 32nd Brigade, 11th Division - On 19 November one of the heroes of our Gallipoli Day By Day series was killed. Second Lieutenant Edmund Ptiestman of 53, Broomgrove Road, Sheffield in Yorkshire was killed. He was aged twenty-six and he had been and early member of the Boy Scout movement. He was Scoutmaster of the 16th (Westbourne) Sheffield Boy Scouts. He is buried in Hill 10 CWGC Cemetery at Suvla.

"Our trenches ran along the coast, near Jephson's Post, and orders had been received for us to work along the furthermost sap to enable us to gain a portion of higher ground on the left of our sap. In order to do this it was necessary to leave our trenches at night, run for- ward with sandbags to the place marked, and dig in as rapidly as possible. On this particular night, Lieutenant Priestman and about thirty NCOs and men were detailed to make good this position. Leaving the trenches about 1.0am, they gained the position without incident, and commenced to entrench as quietly as possible. " Shortly afterwards the Turks rushed the position. Lieutenant Priestman did not retire, but opened a rapid fire, which kept the enemy at bay for a while, but, coming on again with a combined rush, they decimated the whole of the gallant little band. Lieutenant Priestman fell, fighting till the last, and Regimental Sergeant Warr was also killed whilst taking up a message to him. We attacked the position again in larger force next night and succeeded in holding it. The bodies of Lieutenant Priestman and several men were discovered, all the wounded having been removed by the enemy. The captured position was named 'Priest-man’s Post’ by Headquarters, to commemorate the gallantry of this young officer, who was respected by all who knew him."

 

 

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SOURCE:
E. Y. Priestman, With a BP Scout in Gallipoli: A record of the Belton Bulldogs (London: George Routledge & Sons, 1916), pp.297-298.