Photo: Also named on Toowoomba Mothers’ Memorial, St Luke’s Anglican Church Toowoomba Honour Board, Toowoomba Grammar School Roll of Honour and Bank of NSW Roll of Honour (Sydney).
Brother of 6818 Private Kenneth Frank Marlay. Cousin of 386 Private Bruce Ivan Edward Marlay (not on ROH),1736 Private William Noel Marlay (not on ROH), 1340 Driver Edward Marlay Reade Hadgraft (not on ROH), 1900 Private Colin Groom (KIA) and 1843 Private Littleton Campbell Groom (KIA).
Nephew of Sir Littleton Ernest Groom MHR.
Edward Marlay arrived in France in January 1917 and transferred to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance. On 6 May at Bullecourt he was seriously wounded by shrapnel and evacuated to the 7th Canadian General Hospital at Etaples, then to Royal Herbert Hospital in London for major surgery. In June he was moved to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield before being invalided to Australia. When the transport arrived at Freetown, British Sierra Leone, Edward was taken to Tower Hill Military Hospital with acute appendicitis. After two operations he died from septicaemia. He was only 20.
