Born in Dublin, he was the only child of Mr Joshua and Mrs Susan Emily (nee Dunne) Edmundson of "Tel-el-Kebir", Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin. The family were Quakers.
Stuart Edmundson married Iris Beryl Norrington in Yelverton, near Plymouth 18 July 1936. She was the eldest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Lewis Norrington of Crossways, Yelverton. The couple had two sons, Marcus and William. Iris' father R.L Norrington came from a long established Plymouth based family. The family fertilizer firm, Charles Norrington & Co - Plymouth, amalgamated with Fison Fertilizer in 1929 and Stuart Edmondson worked for the firm. He returned to work for the firm after the war as Deputy Manager. Norrington commanded the Plympton Battalion Home Guard.
Over 150 gathered at Parham Airfield when Edmundson formally opened the British Resistance Organisation Museum in Parham, Suffolk in 1997 by unveiling a plaque.
In 1998 he wrote his memories of his time in Auxiliary Units.
He died in Brundish, Suffolk in 2000
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Austin, Devon | Intelligence Officer | 16 Jul 1940 | 15 Sep 1943 |
| Devon | Intelligence Officer | 16 Jul 1940 | 03 Feb 1943 |
| Devon | Intelligence Officer | 04 Feb 1943 | 08 Nov 1943 |
| Cornwall | Intelligence Officer | 16 Jul 1940 | 31 Dec 1943 |
1924-1930 Bootham School, York (a private Quaker School)
1932 -1935 Emmanuel College, Cambridge University (BA Engineering)
General Manager of Fison Fertilizer Ltd
30 Jan 1937 Joined Territorial Army Royal Engineers Devon & Cornwall (Fortress) to be 2nd Lieutenant.
23 May to 4 June 1938 Junior Officers' preliminary fieldworks course, Royal School of Military Engineering.
1938 Called up - Munich
24 Aug 1939 Mobilised. Stayed in Corps Field Company to July 1940
July 1940 Joined Auxiliary Units as Intelligence Officer. His service record shows he stayed until Nov 1943.
Nov 1943 to March 1944 Attached to School of Military Engineering at Ripon.
2 March 1944 Temporarily attached to Station XII. SOE training. (Aston House, Hertfordshire) prior to going overseas.
10 May 1944 Joined the Scientific Research Section.
22 July 1944 Parachute Training. Report states he worked very well indeed throughout the whole course. He showed signs of nervousness at the beginning of the course but soon overcame this. He was fit and had no difficulty with his training. He made four descents from aircraft, three by day and one by night, one of which was with a leg bag. Well behaved and very interested in the course.
10 Dec 1944 Left Britain for New Delhi, India serving with SOE.
11 Apr 1945 Promoted Captain.
01 Aug 1945 Struck off strength Force 136.Posted to South Division SACSEA (Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia).
28 Feb 1962 Ceases to belong to the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers on exceeding age limit for recall. Retains rank of Major.
March 1968 Awarded Territorial Efficiency Decoration by Her Majesty the Queen as Major J W S Edmundson (retired). Corps of Royal Engineers.
(1940-1944) 2 Elford Park, Yelverton, Devon.
(1942 on the birth of Marcus) Underhayes, St Stephens, Launceston, Cornwall
His military service record records him as being 6 foot tall with red hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. His interests included shooting and fishing.
In 1941 Durston and Stevens from the Devon Scout Section made a model of a 15cwt Bedford MW truck for the Edmundson's young son William. A very good replica of one of the Units vehicles it was made from Auxiliary Units scraps.
TNA HS 9/469/5
Western Morning News 7 July 1938
British Resistance Organisation Museum
The late Stuart Edmundson