Author Archive: WW1 Photos

Bickerton W 2nd Lt Machine Gun Corps

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BICKERTON, WILLIAM, 2nd Lieut., Machine Gun Corps, 3rd s. of Thomas Bickerton, of Longhoughton, near Alnwick, co. Northumberland, by his wife, Mary, dau. of J. J. Robinson; b. Longhoughton aforesaid, in 1888; educ. Duke’s School, Alnwick; was a Grocer; joined the Northumberland Fusiliers early in June, 1915; quickly attained the rank of Sergt., and served as Machine Gun Instructor in various training camps in England; obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. 28 March, 1917, being attached to the Machine Gun Corps; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 3 June, and was killed in action at Hollebeke 20 Sept. following. Buried there in the Fusiliers’ Wood. His Captain wrote: “Your son was killed in the early morning of 20 Sept., shortly after the commencement of the great battle in which we took part. He was killed instantly by a shell, whilst gallantly commanding his guns. Our machine guns did a lot of execution, and the enemy did his best to find us. I cannot tell you how deeply sorry I am personally at the death of your son. William was one of my best officers and highly popular with all of us. Our part of the attack involved a great deal of preparation. He was a keen and gallant fellow. I am sure you must be proud of him. His place here in this company will be difficult to fill,” and Lieut. Eckersley: “He was an excellent and fearless officer, and was highly esteemed by both officers and men.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bevington F Pte 90403 7th King’s Liverpool Regiment

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BEVINGTON, FRED, Private, No. 90403, 1/7th (Territorial) Battn. The King’s (Liverpool Regt.), only s. of Fred Bevington, of Monmouth, Motor Engineer, by his wife, Martha, yst. dau. of William Smith Lea; b. Hanley, co. Stafford, 22 May, 1899; educ. Monmouth; joined the Liverpool Regt. 1 Oct. 1917; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 31 March, 1918; took part in the fighting at Givenchy in April; was wounded 3 May, and was killed in action at La Bassée 29 Sept. 1918. Buried at Houchin. The Sergt. wrote: “He was a good boy, and British to the last.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Betteley H L/Cpl 356911 10th Kings Liverpool Regiment

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BETTELEY, HARRY, L.-Corpl., 10th (Territorial) Battn. (Scottish) The King’s (Liverpool Regt.), s. of George Batteley, of 31, Ilchester Road, Seacombe, Wallasey, Warehouseman, by his wife, Elizabeth; and brother to Private F. Betteley (q.v.); b. Seacombe aforesaid, 29 Nov. 1897; educ. Riverside School, and Higher Elementary Schools, New Brighton; was a Clerk in his father’s office; joined the Liverpool Scottish in Nov. 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from early in 1916; was reported wounded and missing after the fighting on 30 Nov. 1917, and is now assumed to have been killed in action on that date; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Betteley F Pte 15671 New Zealand Expeditionary Force

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BETTELEY, FRED, Private, New Zealand Infantry, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, eldest s. of George Betteley, of 31, Ilchester Road, Seacombe, Wallasey, Warehouseman, by his wife, Elizabeth; and brother to L.-Corpl. H. Betteley (q.v.); b. Macclesfield, 30 Nov. 1888; educ. Riverside School, Seacombe; subsequently went to New Zealand, where he took up Farming; volunteered for Imperial Service, and joined the New Zealand Infantry early in 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France from Oct. of the same year, and was killed in action 5 April, 1918; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bett R St G L/Cpl S/18078 Gordon Highlanders

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BETT, RODERICK ST. GEORGE, L.-Corpl., Gordon Highlanders, only s. of Lieut. Col. James Bett, of Craigielea, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Officer Commanding Corps of Commissionaires (Newcastle-on-Tyne Division), by his wife, Mary, dau. of John Johnstone; b. Tillicoultry, co. Clackmannan, 19 July, 1898; educ. privately; enlisted in the R.G.A., and was transferred to the Gordon Highlanders 29 May, 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and subsequently proceeded to Italy; was recommended for a commission, after which he joined the Cadet Battn. at Ripon in Oct. 1918, and died at Aberdeen 21 Feb. 1919, of influenza and pneumonia, contracted while training. Buried at Newcastle-on-Tyne. His Commanding Officer, Lieut. Col. H. A. Ross, on recommending him for a commission, wrote: “This N.C.O. is very well educated, keen and capable. I would be willing and pleased to have him as an officer in my battalion. His work, in and out of the line, has always been excellent.” Unm.

Source De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bethune N M Tpr 341 8th Light Horse Australian Imperial Force

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BETHUNE, NORMAN MCLEOD, Trooper, No. 341, 8th Light Horse, Australian Imperial Force, 2nd and only surv. s. of the late Joseph Robert Douglas Bethune, by his wife, Sibella Maria, dau. of Alexander Paterson; and nephew to the late Magnus Paterson, of Sale, and brother to Corpl. A. D. Bethune (q.v.); b. Cluny Ouse, Tasmania, 1 April, 1886; educ. Toorak Grammar School, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; was for a time employed in a bank, but subsequently took up Farming; volunteered for Imperial Service, and joined the 8th Light Horse 12 Sept. 1914, after the outbreak; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli until Aug. 1915, when he was invalided to England, and admitted to Lewisham Military Hospital 1 Sept., suffering from enteric; returned to duty 5 May, 1916, when he served with the Anzac Mounted Division in Egypt and Palestine, and died at Gaza 19 April, 1917, from wounds received in action there. Buried at Aseifiyeh. His Colonel wrote: “It is to his kind the regiment is indebted for the name it bears of courage and devotion to duty.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bethune A Pte 8/29762 4th Seaforth Highlanders

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Bethune A Pte 8/29762 4th Seaforth Highlanders

BETHUNE, ALICK, Private, No. 8/29762, 4th (Territorial) Battn. Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany’s), eldest s. of Donald N. Bethune, of Corriegarth, Inverness, by his wife, Bessie, dau. of Murdoch MacKenzie; b. Tomalin, co. Inverness, 22 Sept. 1900; educ. Raigbeg School there, and Inverness Royal Academy; joined the Seaforth Highlanders 30 Sept. 1918, and died at Craigleith Military Hospital 13 Nov. following, of broncho-pneumonia. contracted while training. Buried in Drumtemple Churchyard, Stratherrick, Inverness. His schoolmaster ter wrote: “Alick was a favourite pupil of pupil of mine, and I can say, with the utmost sincerity, that I never met a more uniform and consistent character than his, who gave himself to all his school-work with such whole-hearted devotion and singleness of aim that I had splendid hopes of him, and that a great future awaited him.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bethune A D Cpl 234 8th Light Horse Australian Imperial Force

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Bethune A D Cpl 234 8th Light Horse Australian Imperial Force

BETHUNE, ALEXANDER DOUGLAS, Corpl., No. 234, 8th Light Horse, Australian Imperial Force, elder s. of the late Joseph Robert Douglas Bethune, of Westbury, and Cluny Ouse, Tasmania, by his wife, Sibella Maria, dau. of Alexander Paterson, of Vic-toria and nephew of the late Magnus Paterson, of Sale, and brother to Trooper N. McL. Bethune (q.v.); b. Cluny-on-Derwent, Tasmania, 16 Aug. 1879; educ. Hutchins School, Hobart, and Gippsland College, Sale (Victoria); was an Assayer by profession, later engaged in Irrigation Farming served in the South African War, 1900-2, with Roberts’s Horse and the Imperial Bushmen (Medal), also with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles, 1915, and was killed in action there in the famous charge of the Light Horse at Walker’s Ridge 7 Aug. 1915. A comrade wrote: “Douglas Bethune was a grand man in a grand troop, not one of whom returned from the charge,” and another: Each man knew it was certain death, and anyone could have sprung back into the trench, but to their everlasting credit not one man drew back.” He formed one of the Australian Guard of Honour at the Coronation of King Edward VII., and had the Coronation Medal; unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

Bethell H E Pte 27127 Army Veterinary Corps

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Bethell H E Pte 27127 Army Veterinary Corps

BETHELL, HERBERT EDWARD, Private, No. 27127, Army Veterinary Corps, s. of the late Henry Bethell, by his wife, Helen Mary (-); b. Clapton, London, E., Oct. 1888; educ. London; was a Carman; volunteered for active service, but was rejected seven times; enlisted 10 May, 1916; discharged as medically unfit 27 Sept. 1917, and died at All Saints’ Hospital 27 June, 1918, from illness contracted while on military service. Buried in the Tottenham Cemetery. London, N. He m. at Tottenham, N., in 1913, Martha (12, Albert Road, St. Anne’s Road, Tottenham, N.), dau. of Edward George Thomas Thorpe, and had two daughters: Elizabeth Rose and Violet Maud.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5

 

Best W H Pte 135929 Army Service Corps

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BEST, WALTER HENRY, Private, No. 135929, Army Service Corps, eldest s. of Walter Henry Best, of 6. Tottenham Road, Kingsland, Dalston, N., by his wife, Annie, dau. of Cornelius Murphy; b. Islington, London, N.; educ. Tottenham County Council School; enlisted in Aug. 1915; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and was killed in action 1 Sept. 1918. Buried eight miles west of Arras. Major H. J. M. Howard wrote: “Your boy was a great favourite with all, and it was doing his duty so well, thinking of others, that he laid down his life.” Unm.

Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5