Date of Birth
Unknown
College
Borough Road College
Job(s)
Teacher at Red Lion Street School
Service number
51744
WW1 rank
Rifleman
King’s Liverpool Regiment
Theatre of war
Europe
Date of death
4 November 1917
Buried/memorial
Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
Biography
Lance Corporal Ernest Greenwood was the son of John William and Susannah Greenwood. He attended Borough Road College for two years and went straight into teaching in Burnley. He became a member of the teaching staff at Red Lion Street School and was passionate about music and drama, allegedly being an accomplished pianist and a member of the Dramatic Class at the Mechanics’ Institute. Greenwood joined up in February 1916 and the following July was sent on active service. He had returned home only a fortnight before his death on 4 November 1917. A friend of Greenwood’s wrote to Mrs Greenwood saying “Ernie was almost a brother to me…Ernie, a sergeant, and some more men were out doing their duty, when a German machine-gun opened fire, and Ernie was hit…Ernie was very populat with the company, and it was a great help to me to receive words expressing sorrow that he was gone from us”. E. N. Moore, a chaplain, wrote a letter on the same day, “All those who knew him feel the loss very much, especially the men and officers of the company…The day before he was killed he was at battalion headquarters, and the C.O. remarked what a splendid boy he was, intelligent, bright and keen”. His brother Albert was also killed, only a week later.
Sources
Entry on p.87 [Roll of Honour page], Mentioned on Framed Borough Road College Roll of Honour, Burnley Roll of Honour (http://www.burnleyinthegreatwar.info/burnleyrollofhonourmeng/greenwoodernest51744.htm)