Lieutenant Commander Edward Stuart Pierce Harrison MBE VRD Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Man Edward Stuart Pierce Harrison was born in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Rhodesia, on Saturday 26th October 1907, son of Edward Henry Stuart, a Mining Engineer from the Isle of Wight working in the country and Alice Hester nee Lett from Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland. Pierce was taken from Alice’s Father’s first name. He had one brother George William Ramsay, born on 19th March 1915 in the UK.
Following his education Edward lived with his Mother and brother at 35 Salisbury Road, East Blatchington, East Sussex and on 11th June 1929 aged 21, joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the Sussex Division as a Probationary Sub-Lieutenant. He was appointed substantive Sub-Lieutenant on 16th July 1930 with seniority dated 28th June 1930 and further promoted to Lieutenant on 30th June 1933, qualifying in Signals and Minesweeping duties.
Following his education Edward lived with his Mother and brother at 35 Salisbury Road, East Blatchington, East Sussex and on 11th June 1929 aged 21, joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the Sussex Division as a Probationary Sub-Lieutenant. He was appointed substantive Sub-Lieutenant on 16th July 1930 with seniority dated 28th June 1930 and further promoted to Lieutenant on 30th June 1933, qualifying in Signals and Minesweeping duties.
By 1939 Edward, his mother and brother were living at Providence Cottage, Marine Terrace, Seaford, Lewes and at the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Edward was mobilised for service. He served in HM Ships Greenwich (a destroyer Depot Ship), President (training ship and Signal Department) and Mercury (a shore establishment and RN Signals School). He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 28th June 1941 also seeing service on the Atlantic Convoys. At the end of the war, having also qualified for his Volunteer Reserve Decoration, he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and VRD dated ‘1944’.
Edward remained in the RNVR following the war and on 28th October 1948 was appointed Temporary Lieutenant Commander (Sp) as ‘time served’ for service with the Sea Cadet Corps. He was placed on the RNVR retired list on 26th October 1949 aged 42.
Edward continued serving with the Sea Cadet Corps becoming unit Commander of the Newhaven and Seaford Contingent Sea Cadet Corps - Training Ship Defiance, he was still living at Providence Cottage with George, who had also been a Lieutenant Commander in the RNR. In the New Years Honours list of 1960 Edward was appointed as a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, presumably for services to the SCC and at about the same time awarded his Cadet Forces Medal.
Edward retired in 1962 aged 55 and passed away on 31st May 1968, aged just 60, still living with George at Providence Cottage. Neither he nor George were married, George passing away at the same address in early 1986 and buried at Seaford Cemetery.
Edward remained in the RNVR following the war and on 28th October 1948 was appointed Temporary Lieutenant Commander (Sp) as ‘time served’ for service with the Sea Cadet Corps. He was placed on the RNVR retired list on 26th October 1949 aged 42.
Edward continued serving with the Sea Cadet Corps becoming unit Commander of the Newhaven and Seaford Contingent Sea Cadet Corps - Training Ship Defiance, he was still living at Providence Cottage with George, who had also been a Lieutenant Commander in the RNR. In the New Years Honours list of 1960 Edward was appointed as a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, presumably for services to the SCC and at about the same time awarded his Cadet Forces Medal.
Edward retired in 1962 aged 55 and passed away on 31st May 1968, aged just 60, still living with George at Providence Cottage. Neither he nor George were married, George passing away at the same address in early 1986 and buried at Seaford Cemetery.
The Story The medal group awarded to Edward Stuart Pierce Harrison were won at the Noonan’s auction on 15th February 2023. They were of interest because of the RNVR Decoration and Cadet Forces combination of double long service medals, fitting within a sub-theme of this collection.
Basic biographical detail came with the group, some of which turned out to be incorrect! Edward’s birth was given as 1908 in Brentford, although the only detail on the birth register was Edward Stewart Harrison, an incorrect spelling of Stuart. No other birth detail could be found for Edward nor any concerning his parents, despite having his mother’s first names and extensive checking and cross referencing on Ancestry and find a will.
Attention eventually turned to Edward’s brother, George, who had been born in 1915 in the UK and his register of birth revealed his mother’s maiden name as Letts. Again, a blank was initially drawn, except when the search was widened to include the UK and Ireland, it was discovered that their mother had been born in Wexford Ireland. This led to one very basic family tree being uncovered, showing Edward had been born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia in 1907, where his father was working and had married their mother. All the pieces of the jigsaw then fell into place enabling a brief biography to be pieced together.
Of interest are the fact Edward’s brother George William Ramsay Harrison was also a Lieutenant Commander serving in the Royal Naval Reserve during the war and a picture of his grave from Seaford cemetery found.
No record of the award of Edwards VRD can be found in the London Gazette, despite it being shown in later editions and in the Navy Lists.
The fact that neither brother ever married, thus one assumes, there was no interest in including them in any family trees on Ancestry, which coupled with their father working in Rhodesia may explain the difficulty finding a great amount of information.
Basic biographical detail came with the group, some of which turned out to be incorrect! Edward’s birth was given as 1908 in Brentford, although the only detail on the birth register was Edward Stewart Harrison, an incorrect spelling of Stuart. No other birth detail could be found for Edward nor any concerning his parents, despite having his mother’s first names and extensive checking and cross referencing on Ancestry and find a will.
Attention eventually turned to Edward’s brother, George, who had been born in 1915 in the UK and his register of birth revealed his mother’s maiden name as Letts. Again, a blank was initially drawn, except when the search was widened to include the UK and Ireland, it was discovered that their mother had been born in Wexford Ireland. This led to one very basic family tree being uncovered, showing Edward had been born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia in 1907, where his father was working and had married their mother. All the pieces of the jigsaw then fell into place enabling a brief biography to be pieced together.
Of interest are the fact Edward’s brother George William Ramsay Harrison was also a Lieutenant Commander serving in the Royal Naval Reserve during the war and a picture of his grave from Seaford cemetery found.
No record of the award of Edwards VRD can be found in the London Gazette, despite it being shown in later editions and in the Navy Lists.
The fact that neither brother ever married, thus one assumes, there was no interest in including them in any family trees on Ancestry, which coupled with their father working in Rhodesia may explain the difficulty finding a great amount of information.
Medal Details:
- Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire: Unnamed as awarded.
- 1939-45 Star: Unamded as awarded.
- Atlantic Star: Unnamed as awarded
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Volunteer Reserve Decoration: 1944
- Cadet Forces Medal: LT. CDR. (S.C.C.) E.S.P.HARRISON. R.N.R.
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This page last updated 22 Mar 23
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