BENSTEAD, Frank
No. 54814, Private, Frank BENSTEAD
Aged 31
9th Battalion, Essex Regiment, (35th Brigade, 12th Eastern Division)
Killed in Action on Sunday 13th October,1918
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Born in Exning in Q2-1887 [Newmarket 3b:541] to Frederick Charles and Louisa Elizabeth BENSTEAD (née LIVINGS) of Church Street, Exning. 1891 census...at Church treet, Exning, were Frank [4], his father Frederick C.[28] harness maker, born Newmarket, his mother Louisa E. [32], born Newmarket, his sister Julia [2] born Exning and his brother Charles [7 months] born Exning 1901 census...at La Grange Place, Exning, were Frank, now an apprentice harness maker, his parents, sister Julia, brother Charles and brother John [8], born Exning, and a lodger. 1911 census...at Church Street were Frank, a single man and out of work domestic footman with his parents and his grandmother. Later he lived in Greenwich, but enlisted in Westminster. He married Bertha Hilda LIVINGS (b.17-2-1894) on 30th January 1915 at St Jude's Church, Kensal Green, London and they lived at 26 Fourth Avenue.London W10. Bertha married George SIRETT in Bishops Stortford in 1920. He enlisted in Westminster and resided in Greenwich. 600 Metropolitan Policemen were paid up to 19th May 1918 (48/= or £2.40 per week) then signed on immediately for the Army in order to boost recruiting of reinforcements for the final battles of the war. CWGC have different date of death to Our Exning Heroes The pension card has his mother at New Common, Little Hallingbury, Bishops Stortford with their son Frank Douglas (27-9-1916) Frank's entry in "Our Exning Heroes" reads as follows: Benstead, F. 9th Essex Frank Benstead, whose parents live in Church Street, was brought up in Exning and sang for some years as a chorister in St. Martin's Church. He was also a bell ringer. After leaving school he became a postman in the district, and then went to Ireland as a gentleman's servant. Shortly before war broke out he joined the Metropolitan Police and remained in that service until May, 1918. His photo appeared in the Daily Mail on May 24th with several others of the Metropolitan Police Force as they were marching through London, having been just released for the Army. He was trained at Felixstowe and went to France on September 27th. Only a fortnight later, on October 12th, he was shot through the heart by a sniper and died almost immediately , just a month before the Armistice was signed, at the age of 31. He had been married nearly four years, and leaves a widow and a little boy of two years old. The Bury Free Press of 9th November 1918 reported :- PRIVATE FRANK BENSTEAD KILLED We regret to state that Pte Frank Benstead was killed in action on October 12th. According to letters received from two of his comrades, he was shot through the heart by a sniper. Pte. Benstead was the eldest son of Mr.F.C.Benstead, saddler, of Exning, and had for about five years been in the Metropolitan Police, joining the colours last May with about 1,000 men of the Force who were then called up. |
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On the night 6-7 October 1918, the 12th (Eastern) Division relieved 20th (Light) Division in Third Army, taking over the front sector between Oppy and Eleu dit Leauvette. It became apparent that the enemy was in the process of withdrawing from this area, leaving only stubborn outposts. Patrols pushed out and a general advance began through Drocourt, Mericourt and Billy-Montigny (east of Lens), in which the strong Drocourt-Queant Line was occupied by the Division. The advance had now assumed the characteristics of open warfare: the trenches were of the past and this battle became one of pursuit, communications and logistics. The 9th Essex lost 18 killed this day, all have identified graves Frank was initially buried in Courcelles-les-Lens Communal Cemetery (Rue Louis Blanc) where 19 soldiers and one airman from the United Kingdom, mainly of the 12th (Eastern) Division, were buried in October, 1918. They were re-interred later in Loos British Cemetery |
© Roy Beardsworth
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