Edward Henry and Maxwell (nee Neale) were one of the earliest families to settle in the East Hills area of Canterbury-Bankstown. Sands directory shows Edward Henry Maxwell residing in Tower Street, East Hills, from 1900 to 1920, when he moved with his family to Chapel Rd Bankstown.
Edward and Rose had 4 sons; three who lived to adulthood: Henry, Frank and Edward Maxwell.
Frank and Edward both served in WW1. Edward was killed at the age of 23, in Action 4 October 1917. He is listed in The Lost Fifty-Five:
Edward is also listed on the:
- Honour Roll at Bankstown RSL club;
- Memorial Tablets located in Memorial Park Bankstown; and
- East Hills Honour roll – held in the Local history section at Bankstown Library.
The Maxwell family, and descendants, continued to reside in the Bankstown area over the following years, with Frank and Henry both passing away in Bankstown in the mid to late 60’s. There may still be descendants of the family in Bankstown today.
While there is no definitive record to show that Maxwell Avenue was named after the Maxwell family, their connection to the area in known and documented.
Eddie Avenue Panania is noted as being named after Edward Maxwell, the fourth son of Edward Henry and Maxwell, in West of the River Road by Jacqueline Davies, published in 1977.
Eddie Avenue also appears on Tower Heights Estate – subdivision plan – 1 November, 1926.
Below is a summary of Edward and Frank’s military service record and details of their death. The service records note that the boys enlisted for WW1 on the same day; Edward at 21 years and Frank at 23 years of age.
Studio portrait of brothers 2022 Corporal Edward Maxwell (left) and 16211 Sapper (Spr) Frank Maxwell (right).
Lance Corporal Edward MAXWELL
| Regimental number | 2202 |
| Date of birth | 15 May, 1894 |
| Place of birth | Waterloo, New South Wales |
| School | East Hills Public School, New South Wales |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Address | Tower Street, East Hills, Bankstown, New South Wales |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 21 |
| Next of kin | Father – Edward Henry from Maxwell Tower Street, East Hills, Bankstown, New South Wales |
| Previous military service | Served in the Commonwealth Citizens Forces |
| Enlistment date | 24 April, 1915 |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 3rd Battalion, 6th Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/20/2 |
| Embarkation details unit | Embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A63 Karoola on 16 June, 1915 |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Lance Corporal |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 3rd Battalion |
| Fate | Killed in Action on 4 October, 1917 |
| Place of death or wounding | Ypres, Belgium |
| Age at death | 23 |
| Age at death from cemetery records | 23 years |
| Commemoration details | The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 7), Belgium |
| Family/military connections | Brother: 16211 Sapper Frank MAXWELL, 5th Field Company Engineers, returned to Australia, 4 June 1919. |
| War service | Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front |
| Medals | 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal |
The Menin Gate Memorial, named because the road led to the town of Menin, was constructed on the site of a gateway in the eastern walls of the old Flemish town of Ypres, Belgium. The Memorial was conceived as a monument to the 350,000 men of the British Empire who fought in the campaign. Inside the arch, on tablets of Portland stone, are inscribed the names of 56,000 men, including 6,178 Australians, who served in the Ypres campaign and who have no known grave.
Commonwealth war graves certificate in memory of Edward Maxwell.
