Joseph Edward Bilby, known as Edward, was born on Tuesday, 23rd April 1895 at 37 Piccott’s End, Hertfordshire, the second child of George Bilby and Jane Merridan. Edward had two sisters, Laura and Mabel and six half-siblings; John, George, Charles, Elizabeth, Florence and Ellen from his mother’s first marriage. His brother-in-law, William Batchelor, was killed just two weeks after Edward’s death. William’s biography also appears on this site. His father George worked as a ‘Carman’ possibly at Piccott’s End Mill close to where the family lived. His mother was a ‘Sick Nurse’ and later a ‘Midwife’. George died in 1910 aged only forty-five.

Edward left school in 1909 and immediately started work as a ‘Paper Ruler’ with John Dickinson & Co. Limited in Apsley Mills. He lived at 17 Chapel Street in Hemel Hempstead where his mother had moved the family after his father’s death. Edward, like many young unskilled and semi-skilled men, joined the local Territorial Force to supplement his wages. He enlisted with the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment in 1913 shortly after his eighteenth birthday. In fact, Edward was with the Battalion at Ashridge Park at the end of the Territorial Summer Camp when war was declared.

The camp finished with emergency orders issued for all units to return to their bases and await further instructions. These never materialised, although on the 5th August 1914 the entire Battalion was embodied for war service with the East Midland Brigade and Edward moved with his comrades to Romford in Essex. Shortly afterwards the 1st Herts moved to Bury St. Edmunds where it trained intensively for the next two months.

On the 5th November, the 1st Herts left Bury St Edmunds and went to France where it disembarked at Le Havre the following day. Almost immediately Edward found himself in the trenches around Ypres and the Battalion incurred its first casualties as it engaged in the final stages of the First Battle of Ypres. In 1915 Edward fought in the Winter actions at Cuinchy in February, the Battle of Festubert in May and the Battle of Loos in September, surviving them all. In 1916 he fought at the Battle of the Somme and ended the year in action with his comrades at the Battle of Ancre.

A picture of Edward’s character and fearlessness emerged in early 1917 when 2nd Lieutenant Reggie Secretan, from Bennett’s End, wrote a letter home which mentioned Edward and which was later reported in the Hemel Gazette after he was killed. In 1917 the Battalion were heavily engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres. On the opening day during the assault on St. Julien, part of the Battle of Pilckem, the 1st Herts suffered over 450 casualties including Edward and Reggie Secretan who died together.

Edward was killed on Tuesday, 31st July 1917. In the month after his death, Edward’s mother received a letter from his C.O. the contents of which were published in the Hemel Gazette. Once again Edward’s courage is to the fore in the words of the officer.

Edward was commemorated on the war memorial plaque in the old St Paul’s church where he was a member of the congregation. St Paul’s stood on Queen Street (Queensway today) and was demolished in the early Sixties and sadly the memorial plaques was destroyed. A commemorative scroll is held in the new St. Paul's church in Highfiled. 

He was also commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley, although his initials were engraved incorrectly as J. S. rather than J. E. Nevertheless, Edward is honoured with his workmates.

Edward is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 54 and 56.

He was 21 years old when he died.

Edward was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.