BEAVIS, Bertie


No.15862, Private, Bertie BEAVIS
Aged 21


9th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died of his Wounds on Friday, 29th September 1915


Bertie Beavis was born in Stoke by Clare on 18th September 1894 (Risbridge Q4-1894 4A:723), baptised in St John the Baptist, Stoke by Clare on 18th November 1894, son of Walter and Jane BEAVIS (née PERRY). Admitted to Stoke by Clare National/Voluntary School in 1897. The transcription gives his date of birth as 18th October, but the original has half the entry missing. The September date is from the baptismal records

1901 census...Aged 6, he was at Upper Green, Stoke by Clare with his father Walter BEAVIS [32] farm labourer; his mother Jane [31]; brother William [11]; sisters Daisy [4], Edith [3] and Beatrice [1]. All were born in Stoke by Clare.

1911 census...Aged 16, a farm labourer, he was in Stoke by Clare with his parents; sisters Daisy, Beatrice and Ellen [9] and brother Ernest [5]. The new siblings were born in Stoke by Clare. His mother had lost 2 of her seven children, which must have been brother William and sister Edith but those death registrations have not been found.

The pension card still has his mother at Upper Green,Stoke by Clare.


He enlisted in Haverhill.
The 9th Suffolks arrived in France on August 30th 1915 and were billeted near the coast for three weeks until on 21st September they started what was to be a 4 night march in pouring rain to Bethune arriving at 1 am on 25th. There they expected a 48 hours rest in billets, instead of which they were ordered into the battle line near Vermelles at 11:30 am.
Since Bertie died of wounds in a base hospital and his service record is not available, it is impossible to say exactly where or when he was wounded, but it would have been around the Hulluch area. His "Soldier's Effects" entry has him killed in action which obviously is incorrect.



photo; Commonwealth War Graves Commission



Bertie Beavis is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery, grave 2:D:10

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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