E.W. Loveless

Edward Walter Loveless (possibly known as Ted) was born in Long Bennington in 1920.  His father George had been in the Army Service Corps in WW1.  He had 2 brothers (Alfred and George William) and 2 sisters (Joyce and Ivy).  Their mother was Elizabeth (nee Jones).

Before the war he worked for Worthington & Simpsons of Balderton (as did Bert Phillips).  He joined 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards in 1941.

The Battalion fought in the Libyan desert through 1941 and early 1942, escaping capture at Tobruk in June and withdrawing to Alexandria where it re-fitted as a motorised infantry battalion.  From Sep 1942 to Feb 1943 it fought in Syria before returning to Egypt and then though Libya to Tunisia.

The following year they were in Italy and converted back to an infantry battalion.  After many months of hard fighting Rome was taken on 3 June and 3rd Coldstreams were part of the drive northwards.  The Germans made a stand in front of Arezzo (50 miles south of Florence) in July 1944 and there was fierce fighting.  Edward was killed on 16th July, the day Arezzo was finally taken.  However, he is now buried at Florence War Cemetery (although Florence wasn’t taken until August).

He had been due to come home on leave soon, where he was due to marry Elsie Cobb of Appleton Gate, Newark.  His elder brother Alfred served in the Royal Navy during the war, including some time in India.  His younger brother George was a sapper in the Royal Engineers.