Our Ed

Edward Douglas Lucas, born 18th October 1982, arrived home to his sisters in Llantwit from St David's Hospital in Cardiff.

Not too long after Ed's arrival into the world our family was complete when 19 months later Cath, Angela and Ed welcomed baby brother Tom.

Within a few years the tribe left the Lucas family farm and moved about a mile away to Green Lane, near Dimlands, on the outskirts of town.

Life was fun.

And there was never a dull moment.

Ed was known for being a high-energy child - especially after eating chocolate. One time he'd been given a KitKat and allowed to go and play in the garden. Little brother Tom was unable to join him. He was still too young.

Parading his older brother privilege, Ed laughed and taunted Tom from outside the front door, dangling his precious KitKat at him through the letter box.

But then disaster struck. Ed dropped the KitKat! Powerless to stop a delighted Tom from seizing the moment, all Ed could do was look on in horror.

The tables had turned. Tom devoured the entire KitKat.

One year, Ed's big sisters, Cath and Ang, who'd been given a Paul Daniels magic set for Christmas, decided to do something special for his birthday.

For days the girls mastered their crafts of illusion - all the time under Ed's inquisitive eye - until they were finally ready to take to the stage.

A special tent was erected for the birthday celebration in which Ed's friends and cousins assembled, Ang and Cath calming their nerves as they prepared to wow their audience.

But that was not to be.

Ed - armed with an insider's understanding of exactly how the tricks worked - couldn’t wait to reveal the magician sisters' secrets by shouting out to the audience exactly how they'd done it.

Our neighbours Sian and her mum Denise were like family sharing their many pets (Buster, Hoppy and, of course Mouse, the whippet x, being most memorable….)

Sian would regularly issue “big sloppy kisses” to Ed and generously share her roller skates among other forms of entertainment.

Huw Jones from Dimlands Farm next door and Simon Thomas, who worked with him, used to dig the road clear of snow and pile it in our front garden.

Hard to believe now in these days of health and safety but this was the 80s after all and we'd happily launch ourselves from the bungalow roof into the snow pile and hide out for hours in our igloos.

But then thrill-seeking was in Ed's blood - it was his family who'd installed Porthcawl Hydroslides after all.

In excess of 10 kids would pile into the back of the van under orders to head to Porthcawl to road test the slides to check they were safe for the general public to use.

Even granny Lucas joined the expedition and was among the first down the slide.

In her 70s and without a swimming costume, she launched herself down in her dress!

It's easy to see where Ed got his intrepid nature from.

His other grandmother, Nan, providing the venue for all the children to learn to bike ride. where Ed mastered his BMX skills.

And when Ed and Tom looked to earn more street cred, this is where their love of skate-boarding was honed.

When school was out Ed would meet with his friend Alan to explore the frontiers of Ham Woods.

Ed's little brother would be in tow but always felt safe in the most extreme situations (such as navigating the big boys area in stealth mode) due to Ed's wisdom obtained over the first six years of his life!

The fields linked Green Lane to Lower House Farm where Ed would spend countless hours coordinating den construction in the front field with Richard, Paul and Nick.

The front field remained safe for all during this period due to these finely tuned warriors armed with pen knives and hand made bows and arrows!

So many happy memories of playing with all our cousins, scrumping apples and hanging out on the 'rocking trailer' which was like a giant see-saw.

But it wasn't all play. All of us kids were put to work bringing in the small bales of hay at Auntie Cher's.

Ed was a crack shot at hitting targets in the cow shed.

He would tell granny on many occasions "prepare the stew pot for the rabbits!" and off he'd go.

But the pesky rabbits seemed to elude Ed (and granny's stew pot). Although we think when it came to it, seeing how cute and fluffy the rabbits were, he didn’t really want to shoot them.

This seemed to make sense. Ed had phenomenol shooting skills - which would come to the fore later on his life - but he never once killed a single rabbit.

He had a very generous, caring heart.

By 1991 the Lucas clan had moved back into town to New House on High Street.

More times than not it resembled a youth club with friends constantly dropping in and out.

And one summer there was an added attraction when Ed, Tom and Dad constructed their very own half-pipe in the back garden, much to the dismay of the neighbours.

But Ed was never more at home than when he was on the water, paddling the surf skis along the coastline from Llantwit Lifeguard station.

Dad would take us along the cliffs to Bass Cave where we would climb to the top at high tide then jump off in to the water.

Other times the junior lifeguards equipment would be loaded into the van filling it to the ceiling, then the team would pile in on top of the bags to travel to competitions, singing the well practiced song 'Wonderwall'.

One particular event in St David's, Ed's fair skin didn't fare too well in the sun and he ended up with third degree burns on his feet.

Feet full of blisters, he was sent to spend the remainder of the day shaded in the car, the team selflessly taking turns to throw water through the open window to keep him hydrated.  

Another favourite destination was the notorious sandbank off Nash point.

Ed enjoyed being at sea and particularly enjoyed the trips with Gethin, Sarah and co where they attempted to build a human pyramid.

When Llantwit Lifeguards invested in a surf boat, Ed competed with the team in the UK Surf Rowers League travelling to events in west Wales, Devon, Cornwall and a couple of trips to the south west coast of France where they tackled the biggest waves of all.  

Preparing the team for a race Ed would often start shaking his head, waving his hands and making a whooping sound in his very own version of the All Blacks' Hakka.

There were a few side glances from the team but everyone joined in with Ed's un-conventional method of team warmup!

The rowing was fun but the after parties were even more so. Ed could always guarantee a good time and a laugh with the other competitors.

One time after an event at Saunton Sands (and a few pints of Cheddar Valley Ale) Ed along with some of the more crazy cohort, including Tom and Ben, ended up mud wrestling in his pants in the pub beer garden.

Always fun times.

As the years passed by Ed wasn’t so keen on rowing. In hindsight we wonder, in view of what was to come, if that was probably to protect his head from injury as it certainly isn’t the safest of sports. 

Despite this Ed was always willing to sweep (steer) the boat on calmer waters during winter river training. 

The girls team especially were always very grateful as he would step in at the drop of a hat if he was needed.

In 2004 Ed took a break from work to travel and was accepted onto Raleigh International travelling to Namibia, where he helped build a school and elephant drinking holes.

Part of a great team led by Delyth, Ed forged great friendships with Becky, James and Claire among many others.

Often sleeping in a bivvy bag under the stars within ear shot of lions roaring and waking to find a giraffe gently stepping over him… lots of stories.

After completing a 24-hour mad dash up the tallest sand dune in Namibia (in the middle of a sandstorm) Ed's hard work and attitude impressed rangers who offered him a job working on the reserve.

But Ed had already made plans to travel. After finishing his work in Namibia he travelled to South Africa with Claire and James where they continued their adventures.

And this is where Ed discovered skydiving.

He advanced to solo free-falling describing it as so exhilarating and enjoyable that at times it was difficult to convince himself to pull the parachute chord and reduce speed.

On one occasion his parachute failed to open when triggered! Luckily the chute became untangled soon enough to deploy and he once again made a safe landing.

High on adrenaline from the excitement of solo free-fall parachuting, once again for Ed it was time to “party!”

While in South Africa, Ed had acquired some 'herbal goods' for the occasion when he was apprehended by the South African police and spent the night in a cell for possession.

This gave Ed time to relax and come down from the adrenaline high of free-falling… without even consuming the herbal goods.

Moving on, Ed purchased a surfboard and went off to surf the world-renowned Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa.

To his satisfaction there were not many people in the water - for some reason those who had been in the water were quickly making an exit.

With the waves almost to himself he looked to shore to see the locals waving at the remaining few surfers in the water.

Ed returned the gesture with a friendly wave back to the beach. Only when he'd finished his session did he realise they were screaming the warning: "Shark!!!"

From there it was off to Botswana to the Okavango Delta for a treacherous journey down the river - home to some of the largest crocodiles in the world.

Once back to more familiar waters around Llantwit, Ed volunteered with the RNLI team at Atlantic College.

He volunteered himself to be left clinging to the buoy (which marks the end of Nash sandbank) in order to complete a training exercise. For Ed this wasn't an exercise; for him this was fun!

Ed (the gentle giant) also spent a season working on the family farm where he would look after the flock of sheep and ensure all livestock was safe and well during lambing.

He quickly acquired the nick name “Big Bo Peep!”

Ed spent time labouring for Pete the builder. Ed would use his physical prowess and energy to get the job done.

Pete and Ed had a mutual friend Matt Price (who was in school with Ed) and who had pursued a career in automotive engineering, whom Ed had great admiration for.

The Lucas children were beginning to find their way in life. The first to get married in 2005 was Cath, with Ed annd Tom skateboarding to the church to fulfil their roles as ushers.

Ed did his sister proud that day.

Remembered as "one of the best weddings ever". In true Lucas sytle the bar was drunk dry and Ed joined hordes of people in the back of Denise David's horsebox for a lift home. This was Llantwit Major after all.

Ed, it seemed, never lost the energy he'd had as a young boy.

It was no surprise that his life-long interest in bush-craft and adventure eventually led him to the British Army.

In 2006 he was accepted into Sandhurst with exceptional references from his volunteer work and after completing Army Officer Selection Process.

That characteristic high energy combined with discipline and a natural ability to lead was quickly identified within the officer training programme.

Ed received glowing reports from senior officers and gained respect and admiration from his peers.

Drawing on those rabbit shooting skills from his childhood he comfortably transitioned to firing rifles and tanks. He was rewarded with 'top shot award' in training exercises.

Officer training unable to tire him out, Ed pursued additional sporting activities such as paddling the 125-mile Devises to Westminster Race in a K2 kayak with fellow army officer Ben.

Ed received the award for “Outstanding Contribution to Army Sports”.

Ed would ride the Army Cavelry Horses "just for fun". He recalled how it took him back to his childhood and family back home in Llantwit.

It was only the other day when his army friend, Charlie, who wrote to us on hearing of Ed's death, that we learned Ed had been in the running for the ‘Top student’ prize due to his aptitude for soldiering. 

Ed... Ever cool, calm and collected, going about his business in a typically understated way.

His physical prowess became somewhat legendary during his time in training.

Charlie wrote that the Ed he knew was "an excellent soldier, professional, organised, determined and selfless with a warm, dry wit and dignity".

On completing his training at Sandhurst, Ed was honoured with the rank of Second Lieutenant, Royal Welsh infantry regiment alongside friends Charlie, Tom and Ben.

He took command of 30 soldiers returning from Iraq. He listened to their experiences and in turn voiced the thoughts of their disillusionment with the conflict to his commanding officer.

In 2012 Ed returned to Llantwit to live with his Mum who cared for him with the authority and love that only a mother can.

His sisters Cath and Ang, brother Tom and his Dad were always close by to support him along with brothers-in-law Rich and Ben who were always there for him.

Ed spent time with friends new and old. He would enjoy putting the world to rights with 'Matt the Tat', discussing the human mind with Lloyd and Gaz’s ever listening ear was always available for Ed to tell of his latest ideas!

He had the honour of being Matthew Shafto's best man at his wedding in Italy.

During one of Ed's more distressing and fragile moments, he went into our friend Vikki's shop to ask for help.

We're so grateful for her patience, compassion and humour then and every time they met afterwards.

It took moments like these to realise the huge magnitude of the struggle Ed was having to control his emotions and mental wellbeing.

Ed was as gentle as a teddy bear, but when such a big guy is acting erratically out in public it would be expected that some people would feel vulnerable around him.

Although he would not ever harm a hair on anyone's head, Ed was sectioned under the Mental Health Act on a number of occasions due to erratic behaviour.

This went on for a number of years - a cycle of being home and then being taken into hospital.

Despite all the attention Ed was receiving the cause of his mental illness or the trauma which had induced it, could not be identified.

Many times over the years he was unwell, Ed had pleaded to have a brain scan. But even after having had a seizure, no scan was carried out and his illness went undiagnosed.

When Ed was back home Dad would spend time engaging him in activities which he'd always enjoyed - paddling the lifeguard surf skies, working on the farm and for UK Hydroslides as well as mechanical maintenance of farm machinery.

Ed's engagement and focus in these activities seemed distracted. He didn't seemed to get the same enjoyment as he'd done in the past.

Cath would use all her energy to encourage Ed to take part in evenings out, cycling, swimming, socialising and training with the Lifeguards.

Ed also enjoyed hanging out with Cath's friends (aka “Mums' Club”). And not forgetting Ang's friends. It's fair to say Ed loved women and female company.

Whether it was at the Royal Welsh, the Hunt Ball, or an impromptu night in Bridgend, Ed was always be up for a good night out.

And if you caught him on a high you more than likely saw him on the dance floor, twirling in his kilt.

Delyth did just this and enjoyed a Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert with him.

He would gravitate towards Ang's calm, collected and independent nature.

Whenever he could, Ed would happily accompany Ang when she was around the farm tending to the horses with her kids in tow.

He always seem to miraculously appear at times when Ang most needed his help and developed a mutual kinship with the horses.

Uncle Ed would love to help surprise the kids by walking the ponies up to the school gates for pick up. He'd walk alongside as the kids rode the ponies home.

Talking of horses after riding the big cavalry horses while in the army, Ang and friends Sian and Natalie encouraged Ed to ride Jack the horse.

Big sis had a watchful eye over her younger brother as she suspected Ed may have over-sold his riding skills. As soon as Jack hit the meadow he bolted leaving the girls in a cloud of dust.

Ang giving a nod of respect for proving his ability to stay in the saddle. They finally caught up with Ed at the far end of the meadow.

Younger brother Tom lived further afield, sometimes with oceans between them, but always remained close to his big brother.

He would return for visits to Llantwit and spend time discussing Ed's political and societal ideas. They would exchange stories from their work and talk about their bold ideas for a better future.