Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Edward Arthur Woodley

In memory of:

Ordinary Seaman Edward Arthur Woodley

March 15, 1917

Military Service

Service Number:

VR/2088

Age:

Force:

Navy

Unit:

Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve

Division:

H.M.S. Foyle

Additional Information

Son of William Charles Woodley; husband of Emily Woodley.

Commemorated on Page 353 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada

Grave Reference:

Panel 1.

Location:

The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives. This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs. The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea. The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:

1914-1939
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.

On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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Details

Memorial – The panel on the Halifax Memorial at Point Pleasant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada whereon Edward Arthur Woodley's name is inscribed. Image taken in November 2017 by Tom Tulloch.
Details

Photo – HMS Foyle was a Laird-type River-class torpedo destroyer (re-designated in 1913 as an E-class destroyer) of the Royal Navy. Built at Cammel Laird and launched in 1903, Foyle was armed with four 12-pounder guns and two 18-inch torpedo tubes. During World War I, on 15 March 1917 while employed in convoy escort duties in the English Channel, Foyle struck a German contact mine. The mine blew off the bow of the ship and killed 28 of her officers and men, including Ordinary Seaman Edward Arthur Woodley RNCVR who was serving on board as a signalman at the time. The remains of the ship sank while under tow towards port, and the wreck now lies 5 miles off the entrance to Plymouth Harbour.

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Date modified:: 2024-01-29