Edgar was born on November 12th, 1901 in Cheshire. Edgar's father was John Lea and his mother was Lizzie Nield. His paternal grandparents were Thomas Lea and Elizabeth Brereton. He had two brothers and two sisters, named Marshal, Charles, Elsie and Dorothy. He was the youngest of the five children. He died at the age of 74 on December 1st, 1975.