9285 Private Edward Beech

[John Beech]

Edward Beech is a distant relation to me. He was born in Nottingham in 1887 and is shown on his medal index card as having gone overseas on 13th August 1914. He was serving with 1st Battallion, Northumberland Fusiliers when he was killed on 16th June 1915. He has no known grave and is commomorated on the Menin Gate. The 1911 Census shows him as a coal hewer. I am trying to establish whether he was a regular or a recalled reservist.

When he went overseas he would have been 27 years old. Is it possible to determine whether he had served as a regular before becoming a miner? If he joined up at age 17/18, he could have served a maximum of seven years before becoming a miner. Although I believe that service before the age of 18 did not count? This would have enabled him to be a recalled reservist in 1914. If he joined up post 1911, I assume that he would not have put enough years in before becoming a resrevist and therefore was most likely a regular when he went overseas in 1914, especially as he was serving with a regular battalion.

Any help would be appreciated.

[sotonmate]

JB

I found no record for your subject. I would think that he was a regular soldier. The 1st Bn NF were in Portsmouth prior to shipping out to France on 13 Aug 1914. There are people here who can tell you a bit based on his service number.

In the absence of that I can suggest that you get to see the original Medal Roll for his medal issues,which MIGHT show his date of enlistment. The data on the Medal Card is O/1/105B4 page 768 which will decode to a Ledger between WO329/684 to 734 at the National Archives at Kew. I usually give a specific ledger but the system at Kew is down today. You need to look at it in situ or get someone to do it for you,as there is no online access.

Sotonmate

[John Beech]

JB

I found no record for your subject. I would think that he was a regular soldier. The 1st Bn NF were in Portsmouth prior to shipping out to France on 13 Aug 1914. There are people here who can tell you a bit based on his service number.

In the absence of that I can suggest that you get to see the original Medal Roll for his medal issues,which MIGHT show his date of enlistment. The data on the Medal Card is O/1/105B4 page 768 which will decode to a Ledger between WO329/684 to 734 at the National Archives at Kew. I usually give a specific ledger but the system at Kew is down today. You need to look at it in situ or get someone to do it for you,as there is no online access.

Sotonmate

Sotonmate,

Thanks for your prompt reply

Regards

John

[Paul Nixon]

John

Graham Stewart is your best bet for chapter on verse on the NF but in the meantime, based on his number and the fact that Edward was overseas by 13th August 1914, it looks as though he enlisted around 2nd July 1903 and was therefore probably on the reserve when Britain went to war in 1914. Regular terms of enlistment at the time he joined were generally 3 years with the colours and 9 on the reserve. 9284 Henry Alderson enlisted on the 2nd July 1903 and he joined up for 3 and 9. It would seem a good bet that Edward Beech did so too.

Paul

[John Beech]

John

Graham Stewart is your best bet for chapter on verse on the NF but in the meantime, based on his number and the fact that Edward was overseas by 13th August 1914, it looks as though he enlisted around 2nd July 1903 and was therefore probably on the reserve when Britain went to war in 1914. Regular terms of enlistment at the time he joined were generally 3 years with the colours and 9 on the reserve. 9284 Henry Alderson enlisted on the 2nd July 1903 and he joined up for 3 and 9. It would seem a good bet that Edward Beech did so too.

Paul

Paul

Many thanks for this. The dates would certainly fit.

Regards

John