Edward Felix Baxter was born in the village of Oldswinford near Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, on 18th September 1885. He was the third of five children, to Charles and Beatrice Baxter. His father was a prosperous corn merchant.

He lived his early life at ‘Thornleigh’, a sizeable detached property in the Hagley Road. This is now ‘The Crabmill’ public house.

In 1894 his family moved to Hartlebury village and lived at ‘Ivy Crest’, Inn Lane.

Felix attended Hartlebury Grammar School and from there he won a place in 1896 to enter Christ’s Hospital, the London Bluecoat boarding school.

He left Christ’s Hospital in 1901 to work in the United Counties Bank but then decided to enter the teaching profession.

About 1905 he joined Skerry’s College in Rodney Street, Liverpool, where he eventually became Head Commercial Teacher.

The next year he married Leonora Mary Cornish of Roden Avenue, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the daughter of a customs and excise officer.

They went on to have three children but only their eldest child, Leonora Frances who was born in 1907, survived infancy. Edward and his wife and daughter were living at 5 Blantyre Road, in Liverpool in 1914.

Before the war, during his spare time, Edward was a competitive motor-cyclist and was probably the best known competition rider in or around Liverpool. He was well known in the motor-cycling world for being a daring but skilful rider and he won many prizes on the track and in hill-climbing competitions and, with his wife, was to be found at almost every motor-cyclists’ function. His choice of motor-cycle was a REX design which is now a very rare machine.

He took part in the 1910 TT race on the Isle of Man but had to retire after a crash damaged his machine too badly to continue on the infamous Ballacraine bend.

When war came he enlisted in the Lancashire (fortress) Royal Engineers on the 4th September 1914 and on the same day was promoted to Sergeant. His pre-war experience as a motor-cyclist was very useful and so he was given despatch rider duties in the Mersey Defence Corps. The next year he was selected for a commission and in September 1915 he was posted as Second Lieutenant to the 1/8th King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, a Territorial battalion generally known as the Liverpool Irish.

In January 1916 the battalion was sent to France as part of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division and moved to the Somme sector which was at that time a quiet part of the Western Front. The Division was stationed at Bretencourt in the northern end of the sector close to Arras.

He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 19th February (though sadly it was not gazetted until 1st September 1916) and he was acting as the battalion's bombing officer, a position for which he quickly acquired a reputation, as his raiding party was given the nickname of the “Forty Thieves”. 

.Lieutenant Baxter went missing on the 18th April 1916. He was one of three officers involved in a successful raiding party near Blairville, an operation which commenced on the night of 16th/17th April 1916 and completed on the night of 17th/18th April

 

He led his men into the enemy's trench, all of whom, with the exception of himself, returned safely.

The enterprise was entirely successful, and over sixty Germans were killed or wounded. It was on this occasion that his gallantry was recognised by the award of the Victoria Cross.

As soon as Baxter was reported missing, search parties were sent out immediately, but failed to find any trace of him.

 

Sometime after, his wife received a letter from his Colonel, advising her that he may be a prisoner (wounded or otherwise), but that he fears that he has been killed.

 

In July 1916 the German government informed the American Embassy that he had died on the afternoon of the raid.

In 1920 German records revealed that he had been buried in the churchyard at Boiry-Sainte Rictrude, close to Blairville.

His remains were eventually reinterred at Fillièvres British cemetery nearly 40 miles away from where he died.

 

He was the first Liverpool Irish VC recipient in France in the Great War, although there is apparently no special memorial to him in that city. His name is commemorated on the Kidderminster, St. Mary’s, Oldswinford, Christ’s Hospital and the former Hartlebury Grammar School Memorials.

  No greater testimony to the valour of Lieutenant Baxter is required than that paid by his Battalion commander Colonel Fagan, who, in a letter to Mrs. Baxter explaining the circumstances of his death, added:

                "The raid was successful, due to a great extent, to the gallantry and resource of your husband . . . The men say his gallantry and coolness were marvellous. He had not been with the battalion very long, but we had realised what a splendid fellow he was. I have lost one of my best officers."

 

   Similarly his fellow officers speak in the highest terms of him, and one of his men, who was wounded in the same raid, described him as:

“the most popular officer in the regiment - an officer and a gentleman."

 

Of such a man it can truly be said that he brought honour both to his regiment and to the city whose name it bore. Heroism was not an uncommon feature of the British army, but even in heroism there are degrees, and it required conduct of outstanding merit before the award of the Victoria Cross - the highest recognition of all - was made. That Lieutenant Baxter fully deserved the honour conferred upon him posthumously is fully testified to by those who had the advantage of knowing him under actual battle conditions.

 

Edward Felix Baxter is buried at Fillievres British Cemetery Grave Ref:  A. 10.