Edward Thomas Stewart was born on 7th September 1880 in the Kent village of Sturry. The middle of three children, his parents were farm labourer James Stewart and his wife, Frances.

When he finished his schooling, Edward found work as a coachman, but he sought a life of adventure and, on 24th July 1899, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, with light brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Stewart was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training, and remained there for the next eight months. He was then given his first assignment, on board the battleship HMS Sans Pareil. She became his home for the next year, during which time he was promoted to full Stoker.

Edward’s initial term of contract was for twelve years, and over that time he would serve on nine different vessels. Between voyages his shore home remained Pembroke, and he spent more than two years based there. By the summer of 1911, Edward had been promoted three times – to Stoker 1st Class in July 1906, Leading Stoker in March 1908, and Stoker Petty Officer in March 1910.

When his contract came to an end, Edward immediately re-enlisted. By this point, his records show that he had grown to 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall, and had a scar on his nose.

In the autumn of 1912, Stoker Petty Officer Stewart was assigned to the troop ship HMS Tyne. She would become the ship on board which he would spend the longest part of his career, not disembarking until 31st May 1917. He transferred to HMS Fairy, a destroyer, and with the move came a promotion to Acting Chief Stoker.

Attached to the Grand Fleet, Fairy was engaged in convoy work off the east coast. Edward’s time on board would not be a lengthy one, however. On 24th December 1917, he fell overboard, and was killed. He was 37 years of age. There is little additional information about the incident, although his service papers note that “no blame was attributable to anyone.”

Edward Thomas Stewart’s body was recovered, and brought back to Kent for burial. He was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the base he had called home for so long.

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