Known by his second name and commemorated thus on the Corsham War Memorial, Egbert was born in Yatton Keynell in 1896 to Andrew George and Fanny Slade (née Pearse). The family were farmers and at that time were working Bromhalls Farm in Kington St Michael. It was a large family (nine children in total), but Egbert’s mother died in 1905 when he was only nine. By 1911 the family lived on Pandown Farm in Corsham and Egbert was attending Chippenham Secondary School. His brothers George and Allan were working on the farm and his sisters Florrie and Clara were living at home.
Egbert enlisted in the Army Service Corps in Bath in January 1915. Posted to the 237th Heavy Transport Company, he died of cerebrospinal meningitis at the Military Isolation Hospital,
Aldershot, on April 15th, 1915. His body was returned to Corsham and buried in Corsham Cemetery – the first military funeral in the town. This is how it was reported in the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette:
Military Funeral. The sad death at the early age of 19 of Driver Egbert Slade so soon after his arrival at Aldershot was a great blow to his family, his comrades in the Army, and numerous friends. That he was highly esteemed among the 5th Army troops will be seen by the following letter received by the father on the 18th inst., from Major T.C.R. Moore, commanding 5th Army Troops Train:
“I much regret to have to inform you of the death of your son Egbert, which took place at 10.15 last night (April 16), in the Isolation Hospital, Aldershot. This information was conveyed to you by telegram today. Your son came under my command on March 8 suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis.
I desire to express my deep sympathy with you in your sad bereavement. I would like to add that your son will be sadly missed in this train by both officers and men – he was a good comrade and gave every promise of being a good soldier.”
The funeral took place at the Corsham new Burial Ground on Wednesday afternoon. The body arrived by train at the Chippenham Station and was conveyed to Corsham by hearse, accompanied by a squad of Chippenham Yeomanry under Sergeant Ellis and six trumpeters under Sergeant Trumpeter Buckland. Arriving at the gates of the cemetery, the Yeomanry formed a guard through which the cortege and mourners passed to the burial ground where the Rev. R. F. Donne (curate) was in waiting. The service in the chapel completed, the remainder was read at the grave, round which the Yeomanry and trumpeters were stationed.
At the completion of the service three rounds were fired, with unanimous precision, whereupon the trumpeters sounded “The Last Post,” thus ending the first and very impressive military funeral at the new burial ground.
