Ernest Edward Saker born 12th of September, 1899 was the youngest of six brothers who fought in the First World War. James Saker, was killed and is remembered on the Carleton Rode War Memorial (and there are four brothers in the Survivors section of this website which give details of the family history).
Ernest served in the army. He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment on the 19th September 1917, aged 18. He served overseas, was wounded and eventually invalided out of the army due to sickness. He was discharged on the 22nd December 1919 and awarded the Silver War Badge. Ernest died on the 26th May 1921 aged 21 and is buried in the village cemetery just along the path from the War Memorial.
Ernest’s father, Robert, applied for a pension from the War Office following his son’s death (his parents were dependent on their sons for financial support – otherwise they would have been admitted to the workhouse). After first being refused, Robert was eventually awarded 5 shillings per week for life.
There is a quote in the parish magazine of July 1921:
‘We wish to convey our sympathy to Mr and Mrs Saker on the loss of their soldier son, Ernest Edward.’
Engraved on his gravestone is the following inscription:
The golden evening brightens in the west
Soon to faithful warriors comes their rest
Sweet is the calm of paradise blest
Ernest was not on the War Memorial because it was unveiled the year before he died, on the 20th September 1920. As villagers, we felt that it was long overdue that Ernest’s name joined that of his brother – and he was recently added to our war memorial; his name can now be read out every year and remembered alongside the other 22 men who hailed from Carleton Rode.