William Beesley VC

[dronnyguy]

I am trying to find any info at all on my Gt Uncle Bill Beesley who won his VC at Bucquoy in particular any info on the location of the action would be greatfully received.

Regards

Mike

[stiletto_33853]

Mike,

William Beesley, # B/203174, 13th Battalion, Rifle Brigade. For action at Bucquoy on 8/5/18. I can let you have the Regimental account or the War Diary account.

Andy

[stiletto_33853]

Born 5th October 1895 at Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, later moving to Nuneaton. After leaving school he worked as a miner at Haunchwood and Tunnel Colleries. Towards the end of 1914 he enlisted in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, accompanying the 9th K.R.R.C. to France in May 1915. He was soon in action near Ypres and was wounded twice during the year. On recovery he was posted to a machine gun section in the 13th Rifle Brigade.

He was promoted Corporal on 28th June 1918, the day that the award of his VC was announced in the London Gazette. He was subsequently invited to tea in the trenches with his Commanding Officer and to lunch with his Divisional Commander who also gave him a box of chocolates. On 9th August 1918 he and Sergeant Gregg received their V.C.'s together from King George V at a field investiture at HQ Third Army at Frohen-le-Garnd.

On 15th July 1919 he was awrded the French Medaille Militaire for an earlier undocumented action during the war. He was demobilized in the same year and returned to work in the mines. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Artillery but was discharged in 1941 due to his age. After the war he worked for a manufacturing company at Coventry before retiring in 1960 and died on holiday at Abergavenny in South Wales on 23rd September 1966, aged 70.

[Stebie9173]

I'm sure Andy will keep the info coming but this page has some info, a picture and a pic of his grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=13167261&

Steve.

[stiletto_33853]

Funnily enough their was a thread on Gregg a little while ago as well.

[stiletto_33853]

Mike,

The Regimental account:-

As a result of the fighting in and about Bucquoy observation for the troops of the 37th Division was not good, and it was decided to undertake whate was referred to as a "minor operation" with the object of bringing the enemy lines in the valley east of the village under a better view.

The Thirteenth Battalion was selected for the undertaking; Colonel Mostyn-Owen was told that if it were found that observation was not inproved, and that the general line was not as good as the former one, he might use his discretion as to whether the line was held or not.

Orders for the attack were very elaborate so no mkore than an abridged version can be given here. Two Companies were to be employed in the front line, "A" on the right and "D" on the left, with "C" and "B" in support.

"A" Company was to be divided into four parties with a main objective of the Cemetery and Crucifix; "B" in five parties, would prolong the line to the north. There would be no artillery barrage until called for by the companies, who would not demand it except in extreme emergency. The date of the attack was May 8th and at midnight 7th/8th companies would move to their assembly positions. Zero hour was 2.00 p.m.

[stiletto_33853]

The attack started punctually and it was soon found that the right company would have trouble from the Cemetery and Crucifix. The parties of this company got on with varying success, but machine gun fire from these two places caused many casualties. Two parties detailed for the attack on the Cemetery rushed a machine gun and killed the team. There were at least thirty Germans in the Cemetery, of whom eleven were sent back as prisoners and the remainder killed. 2nd-Lieutenant G.D. Fraser having been wounded in the Cemetery, Serjeant Gregg took command and the parties pushed on to the Crucifix, which they occupied, as well as posts to the north. The enemy counter-attacked from a support trench and got round the right flank, whereupon the parties fell back to the edge of the Cemetery; here they were re-inforced by a section of the support company and, returned to the charge, bombed the enemy back. They remained there until, under orders, they withdrew at 5.40 p.m., having lost half their strength.

The next party on the left, a platoon, came under enfilade machine gun fire and lost the platoon serjeant and three section commanders killed, or wounded. Rifleman Beesley took command and continued to advance. First, with a Lewis gun, he engaged an enemy machine gun and knocked it out; continuing, he encountered four enemy posts, one of which he rushed single-handed; from this he extracted five German officers, of whom he killed one, wounded one, and disarmed three, send them back as prisoners.

[stiletto_33853]

Next Rifleman Beesley single-handed rushed a post on the left, the machine gun post referred to above, and found one dead and two live Germans; the latter he disarmed and sent back. Having obtained touch with the section on the left, he returned to the captured machine gun position and mounted his Lewis gun there, the No.2 (the only other survivor of the section) having arrived with the gun. There he remained with the No.2, who, although wounded about 7.00 p.m., remained until the pair brought their gun back into the line at 10.00 p.m. During these activities Rifleman Beesley did considerable execution with the 600-800 rounds he fired, whilst he also rescued a valuable disposition map which a German officer was about to destroy.

In the left company the right hand party, consisting of thirty-four other ranks under Lieutenant F.L. Edgerton, reached its objective, some six hundred yards north-east of the Crucifix, and threw bombs into it. About four or five of the enemy immediately came out and surrendered, but a German serjeant-major, looking out for shelter, picked up a bomb and threw it, wounding a serjeant, whilst, at the same time, Lieutenant Edgerton was wounded by a mchine gun bullet; the party, however, entered the trench and took eleven prisoners, including the serjeant-major.

[stiletto_33853]

2nd Lieutenant A.C.W. George, seeing that Lieutenant Edgerton was wounded, went up from the support company and took charge, getting the Lewis gun into action and covering the advance of the right company. On the right of the position a large number of the enemy was seen retiring and fire was opened, which caused many casualties. 2nd Lieutenant W.H. Mitchell then arrived to take command, but fire bacame so hot that the party had to keep well down. Observation being poor, not much more could be done and, eventually, the withdrawal of the right company combined with a simultaneous advance of the enemy, on the right, caused the withdrawal of the party.

The next party under A/Corporal Smith came under heavy fire, but Corporal Smith and one man rushed the enemy wire, reaching anopther belt of wire three or four yards from the objective; the corporal was killed and the party eventually withdrew at dusk, it being impossible to do so earlier.

The three left hand parties, without a casualty, reached within twenty or thirty yards of the enemy position; here it found excellent observation over the valley to the east and south-east of Bucquoy and proceeded to dig in.

During the afternoon the enemy was observed massing in this valley and was fired upon with rifles and Lewis guns.

At 6.00 p.m. a hostile smoke barrage was observed south of Ablainzevelle and small arms fire was opened into it; red Verey lights were fired as a signal to the artillery but these apparently were not seen owing to their unsutability as a daylight signal.

As has been seen, the difficulties experienced by the parties on the right led to the successive withdrawal of those further north.

Casualties had been sufficiently heavy. Of officers, Lieutenant F.L. Edgerton and 2nd Lieutenants M.A. Satpleton, A.A. Gower, A.C.W. George, and G.D. Fraser were wounded - the last named, unfortunately dying subsequently of his wounds - whilst 2nd Lieutenant J. Forrester, officially reported as missing, was later reported to have being killed.

"For The Duration" gives the total of killed as fourty-nine, but the official returns give approximately that figure for the killed and wounded combined. In any case, the total other rank casualties were in the neighbourhood of one hundred.

Hope this helps you a little Mike, if you need the War Diary account let me know.

Andy

[stiletto_33853]

Bucquoy

[Stebie9173]

If I'm reading things right the location of William Beasley's V.C. would have been the lower Lewis gun position shown on the map, just N or N.E. of the Crucifix position?

Steve.

[stiletto_33853]

Steve,

That seems to be about right the way I read it also.

Andy

[dronnyguy]

Mike,

William Beesley, # B/203174, 13th Battalion, Rifle Brigade. For action at Bucquoy on 8/5/18. I can let you have the Regimental account or the War Diary account.

Andy

Hi Andy

Many thanks for the offer, it would be absolutely brilliant if you could let me have any info at all. Sorry for delay in getting back to you buy have been away. My email is kmikeshaw@yahoo.co.uk

[dronnyguy]

I'm sure Andy will keep the info coming but this page has some info, a picture and a pic of his grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=13167261&

Steve.

many thanks for this

Mike

[dronnyguy]

Funnily enough their was a thread on Gregg a little while ago as well.

Thank you so very much for this photo, it is the first one I have seen of him since 1964l, we moved to Singapore and were living there when he died in Abergavenny. It ios very touching to see as he was at the time of the action.

Thank You

Mike

[dronnyguy]

Bucquoy

Hi and again many many thanks for all this effort you dont know how much it means to me.

Kevin

[dronnyguy]

Hi This is absolutely amazing and I am very grateful, if it wouldn't be too much trouble I would be very interested in seeing the war diary account as well. I am a bit of a newbie at this but am trying.

regards

Mike

[tharkin56]

pictured in coventry telegraph 1955 at dedication to arthur hutt VC

[wet255]

I am told that a pte Mann 13th RB was Beesley's number 2 during this action can anybody confirm this. He was badly wounded (lost a leg i understand) and was carried to safety by Beesley. Any help most welcome. Nigel

I am told that a pte Mann 13th RB was Beesley's number 2 during this action can anybody confirm this. He was badly wounded (lost a leg i understand) and was carried to safety by Beesley. Any help most welcome. Nigel

[Terry_Reeves]

William Beesley attended the funeral of Arthur Hutt VC in Coventry. He was part of the cortege that formed up at the Canley railway crossing and followed Hutt's coffin on foot to Canley crematorium. Notably , he refused to wear his own medals at the funeral out of respect for his fellow VC winner.

TR

[tharkin56]

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2011/03/14/five-war-heroes-honoured-at-coventry-memorial-92746-28332601/

Funny enough article in this week telegraph about Coventry's FIVE! VC winners.

[Guest Mills any]

William Beasley was my great great uncle, my grandfather (Williams nephew) told me many stories of William.

William was born in Linton rows in Linton Derbyshire, awere all the family including my mother.

We have lots of photographs also of William.

If anyone wants any information please get in touch

Mandy

[petergrandad]

From recent investigations the number two mentioned in Wm Beesley's action may well have been my Grandfather, Pte Peter Douglas. One account mentions a lad called Douglas being with Beesley.

I have a press cutting of the time recounting the story that has been in the family for the best part of 100 years. There were always little snippets of stories in the gang about Granddad's record in WW1, he was also awarded the MM, all of this does point toward him being the other soldier involved here. His leg wound was something he dismissed as a new sting. Typical of the man and his generation.

[mikeshaw]

On 24/07/2014 at 14:12, Mills any said:

William Beasley was my great great uncle, my grandfather (Williams nephew) told me many stories of William.

William was born in Linton rows in Linton Derbyshire, awere all the family including my mother.

We have lots of photographs also of William.

If anyone wants any information please get in touch

Mandy

Mandy, could you please get in touch with me at mike59shaw@gmail.com William was my Gt Uncle and I would be interested in any information you might have. Many Thanks

[Guest Glyn Jackson]

On 7/24/2014 at 14:12, Mills any said:

William Beasley was my great great uncle, my grandfather (Williams nephew) told me many stories of William.

William was born in Linton rows in Linton Derbyshire, awere all the family including my mother.

We have lots of photographs also of William.

If anyone wants any information please get in touch

Mandy

Mandy

 

according to what I have read in the newspapers of the day, William was born in Church Gresley but moved to/was schooled in Linton.

As part of the WW1 Centenary commemorations all VC receipients are being honoured with a paving slab memorial, like the one pictured, in their home villages. South Derbyshire District Council have informed me in my role as RBL Branch Secretary that the slab will be placed near to the war memorial in Church Gresley. I'm not sure when this will take place but it will either be this year or next year.
regards

 

Glyn