WW1 Casualty: Private 8456 Joseph Beadle - Private 8456 Joseph Beadle
| Unit/Regiment |
2nd Bn, South Lancashire Regiment |
| Date of Death |
24/10/1914 |
Burial/Memorial
& Reference |
Le Touret Memorial
Panel 23 |
| Census Details |
1901 Census -
Joseph, aged 4, and his widowed mother, 33 year old Catherine, were recorded as "Visitors" at 30/6, Bond Street, Liverpool, the home of John Cross. |
| Enlisted |
Chatham, Kent |
| How Died |
Killed In Action |
Theatre of War |
France & Flanders |
| Research Ref. No. |
P011 |
Service DetailsThe 2nd Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment landed in France on 14th August 1914, just over a week after the outbreak of war. They disembarked at Le Havre with a strength of 27 officers and 980 other ranks, and then travelled by train to Mauberge.
They marched over the next few days through areas of northern France where the civilian population turned out in droves to meet and salute them, ultimately arriving at St Hilaire on the 20th. On the 21st, they again marched off, this time towards the Belgian border, finally arriving at Framieres in the late afternoon of the 22nd. They were then informed that the Germans had occupied Brussels and that the next day they would be moving forward to engage the enemy.
On the morning of the 23rd they marched off and by mid-afternoon they could see shells bursting over Mons some two miles away. Battle was imminent. By 5.30, they were entrenched and ready for action.
Early next morning, the 24th, shortly before 4 a.m., the German infantry in masses and firing from the hip, came straight for the positions occupied by the Battalion, and were met by the defenders with rifle and machine-gun fire.
The battle raged for several hours and over 1,000 German troops were estimated to have been killed. But after several hours of intense fighting against overwhelming odds, the Battalion was forced to retire from their positions covering the Mons-Conde canal to avoid being outflanked. The retreat from Mons had commenced.
By the time the Battalion reached Coyelles on the 29th and was able to regroup, the muster amounted to 14 officers and about 400 men, about half of its original strength.
The Battalion engaged in several more conflicts throughout the remainder of 1914, receiving well-needed replacements in December, by which time it was based in trenches east of Kemmel, and billeting in Balleul when out of the line. Private Beadle is listed as dying on 24th October, probably as part of the general trench attrition of the time. His body was never identified and he is remembered on the Le Touret Memorial.
Private Beadle’s Medal Index Card shows that he arrived in France on 27th August 1914, two weeks after the initial arrival of the battalion in France. It further notes that he was presumed dead (PD) on 24th October. He was an “Old Contemptible” and was entitled to the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.
Private Beadle’s inscription on the Le Touret Memorial
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