Forename: Ernest
Surname: Drew
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
Institution: St Paul’s Practising School
Ernest Drew was born in Suffolk but moved to Cheltenham before attending the Practising School. He became Manager of Goodmans Provision Store on the High Street and went on to marry and have a son called Hector.
He enlisted in the Gloucestershire Regiment in September 1915 before becoming a Sergeant in the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Ernest was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. He died on 11 October 1917 during the Battle of Poelcappelle, enduring the wet weather experienced by the other Practising School alumni who perished during Autumn 1917. His body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. Ernest was 28 years old.