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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Beechey


Fedelmar

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In the weekend paper for Western Australia (Sunday Times) there was an article concerning 8 Beechey sons who enlisted. 5 were killed, 1 was crippled and 2 returned home.

I sent the article to Ted Harris and he as posted it on the Digger History website.

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-heroes/beechey.htm

Bright Blessings

Sandra

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Check out Mrs Woods at Vimy Ridge who sent 12 Sons to the War.This is in a previous thread.

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  • 2 years later...

Just come across this book: Michael Walsh, Brothers in War, Ebury Press, 2007.

Synopsis from Blackwell Bookshop Online:

"Brothers in War" is the immensely powerful and deeply tragic story of the Beechey brothers, and how they paid the ultimate price for King and country. All eight went to fight in the Great War on such far-flung battlefields as France, Flanders, East Africa and Gallipoli. Only three would return alive. Even amid the carnage of the trenches, it was a family trauma almost without parallel. Their wives and sweethearts were left bereft, their widowed mother Amy devastated. It is a tragedy that has remained forgotten and unmarked for nearly 90 years. Until now. Kept in a small brown case handed down by the brothers' youngest sister, Edie, were hundreds of letters sent home from the front by the Beechey boys: scraps of paper scribbled on in the firing line, heartfelt messages written from a deathbed, exasperated correspondences detailing the absurdities of life in the trenches. From it all emerges the remarkable tale of the lost brothers. Tragic and moving, poetic in its intensity, "Brothers in War" reveals first-hand the catastrophe that was the Great War; all told through one family forced to sacrifice everything.

With best wishes,

David

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This was in relation to an article I sent to Ted Harris in 2006.

Bright Blessings

Sandra

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I have grave photos of the two Beechey Brothers buried in France, Frank & Leonard.

PM me if you would like a copy

Peter

(Hi Sandra, it was good to meet you at last)

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Can second the good review of Walsh's book on the Beechey brothers. Found it very useful when looking at the service of Charles Beechey.

Charles was a master at Stamford School; he, Bernard and Leonard are remembered on the school war memorial. Charles is also commemorated on the town memorial.

Jim

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Peter ... do you think it would be fitting to put the photo's on this thread?

Bright Blessings

Sandra

PS: Was great to meet you too :)

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  • 4 years later...
Guest colinshill

I don't know if anyone will see this as it's several years since it has had any posts, but here goes!

I was fortunate enough to have custody of and to go through the whole Beechey archive (which was donated to the City of Lincoln) about two years ago prior to it being lodged in the museum of Lincolnshire Life.

It was an extremely poignant archive that really brought home the suffering of those left behind as well as the poor boys at the front.

All the Beechey boys were very well educated and were articulate and intelligent, so the letters home were very well written and informative.

What is not generally known, is that Amy Beechey had been widowed for some years and had very little money, so the loss of her sons was a real tragedy. However, she was well looked after by the City fathers, and rightly so. She was a guest at the Guildhall when King George and Queen Mary visited Lincoln after the war to thank the people for the tremendous efforts in producing large numbers of Sopwith Camels and Tanks. Amy was also the recipient of one of the first council housed that the city had built.

If anyone wishes to see the archive, it would be worth contacting the museum in advance, as only a small selection of the archive is on display.

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