=BEARD, FRED=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 4369), 196362, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BEARMAN, WALTER JOHN=, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 21160, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BEARMAN, WILLIE GEORGE=, Leading Seaman, 155050, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=BEARNE, ARTHUR HENRY=, Officer’s Steward, 2nd Class, 359286 (Devon.), H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=BEATSON, FREDERICK=, Corpl., No. 9034, 1st Battn. K.O.R. Lancaster Regt., 3rd _s._ of William Beatson, of 16, Oak Street, Wavertree, Liverpool, by his wife, Alice, dau. of William Little; _b._ Liverpool, 22 April, 1887; educ. St. Clement’s National School, Liverpool; enlisted in 1905, served seven years and obtained his discharge in 1913, but on the outbreak of war rejoined, served through the retreat from Mons and the Battles of the Aisne and the Marne, and was killed in action “somewhere” in France, 18 March, 1915; _unm._ He was buried near Le Bizett Hospital, a mile from Armentières. Two of his brothers are now (1916) on active service.
[Illustration: =Frederick Beatson.=]
=BEATTIE, ISAAC=, A.B., R.N.V.R., No. Tyneside Z/715, Collingwood Battn., R.N.D., 4th _s._ of John Beattie, of 9, Robson’s Buildings, Windynook, Gateshead, Miner; _b._ Windynook, 1891; educ. at the Council School there; joined the Navy at the outbreak of war, and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 4 June, 1915; _unm._
[Illustration: =Isaac Beattie.=]
=DE VERE BEAUCLERK, NEVILL=, Lieut., 12th, attached 1st, Battn. Essex Regt., only child of Robert Sidney de Vere Beauclerk, B.A., London [gt.-gt. gdson. of Lord Sidney Beauclerk, 5th _s._ of Charles, 1st Duke of St. Albans, K.G.], and of Beatrice, dau. of the late Alfred Richard Hollebone; _b._ Ingatestone, co. Essex, 13 Oct. 1895; educ. Kenilworth School, near Cape Town, and South African College, Cape Town. At the age of sixteen he was a member of the Cape Town Society of Model Engineers, and won the Ashenden Shield for model speed-boat construction; on coming to London two years later he passed together the London Matriculation Examination and the Entrance Examination into the second year of the City and Guilds Engineering College. On the outbreak of war he immediately volunteered, and having had training in the South African Defence Force, obtained a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the 12th (Service) Battn. Essex Regt. For the first month he did Captain’s work at Harwich, and was within three months (9 Dec. 1914) promoted Lieut., later being appointed instructor in musketry, and afterwards machine gun officer. In the latter capacity he was sent with reinforcements to the Dardanelles, and attached to the 1st Battn. of his regt. He was killed in action while in charge of his gun, at Gallipoli, 17 June, 1915; _unm._ Letters received by his parents from friends and brother officers all testify to his cheerful disposition, his courage, and great capabilities. A private of his gun section wrote: “He was the sort of officer any man would be willing to die for,” and a sergt. of the section remarked to an officer: “Lieut. Beauclerk was the smartest officer we have ever had on the gun.” “Yes,” wrote a brother officer, “he was simply brilliant; but what was even better, he was so lovable.”
[Illustration: =Nevill de Vere Beauclerk.=]
=BEAUFORT, FRANCIS HUGH=, Capt., 2nd Battn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I., _s._ of Major Francis Beaufort, Royal Artillery, by his wife, Adela Hastings, dau. of Edward Divett, of Bystock, near Exmouth, M.P. for Exeter (1832–64); _b._ Camberley, Surrey, 27 July, 1883; educ. St. David’s, Reigate, Stone House, Broadstairs, Wellington College, and Christ Church, Oxford (B.A. 1904); while still at Oxford he was attached to the Devonshire Regt. for military training (1904); was nominated by the University for a commission, and was gazetted to the 1st Battn. of the Oxford and Bucks Regt. as 2nd Lieut., 16 Aug. 1905; served in India and Burmah, being promoted Lieut., 10 Aug. 1907, and Capt. 2nd Battn., 18 April, 1914. He was present at the action near Richebourg L’Avoué on 15–16 May, 1915, when the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I. and Inniskillings captured some German breastworks, came unharmed out of the terrific fighting during the night, but was shot in the morning by a sniper while trying to reach his Commanding Officer. He was buried in an orchard about two miles west of Richebourg L’Avoué. Capt. Beaufort _m._, Bamburgh, co. Northumberland, 31 Dec. 1913, Charlotte Gwendoline Frances, 3rd dau. of the late Charles Hope, of Shorestone Hall, near Bamburgh, _s.p._ Capt. Beaufort was descended from François de Beaufort, a Captain in the Dutch service, and afterwards “Chancelier de la Cour à Lippe-Detmold,” who migrated from France on the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and was by letters patent dated at Vienna, 4 Mar. 1710, which recognised his antecedent French nobility, cr. by the Emperor Joseph I., a noble of the Holy Roman Empire for himself and all his descendants. His fourth son, Daniel Cornelis de Beaufort (_b._ Wesel, 29 July, 1700), took Holy Orders, and was naturalised in Great Britain by Act of Parliament, 15 April, 1742, and died Archdeacon of Tuam and Rector of Clonenagh Queen’s Co., 1788.
[Illustration: =Francis Hugh Beaufort.=]
=BEAUFORT, OSTCLIFFE HAROLD=, 2nd Lieut., 1/6th Battn. North Staffordshire Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of John William Beaufort, Managing Director of Messrs. Elliott & Fry, Ltd., of 55–56, Baker Street, W., by his wife, Lucy Anne, dau. of John Ostcliffe; _b._ Birmingham, 20 Oct. 1893; educ. Wellington College, Salop, and Birmingham University where he was for several years a member of the O.T.C.; gazetted as 2nd Lieut. to the 1/6th Staffords, 26 Aug. 1914, went to the front Feb. 1915, was wounded in Aug. 1915, and afterwards appointed Brigade Grenade Officer, and was killed in the fighting for the Hohenzollern Redoubt, 13 Oct. 1915; _unm._ Writing to his brother on the previous day, he said: “We attack to-morrow afternoon, hold the new trenches all night and get relieved the next night. If I see these three days through all will be well, and leave will be granted.” His Colonel wrote: “He was a very good and reliable officer, never sparing himself, and doing everything to the best of his ability”; and his Major: “He came to the regt. a stranger, but very soon endeared himself to everyone. He was a most efficient officer, and any duty given him was done in a most satisfactory manner.” A brother officer, writing to his father, gave the following interesting account of the fighting that day: “He, Beaufort, was killed in the trenches 2½ miles N.E. of Bethune, 6 miles south of La Bassée. As you know, he was Brigade Grenade Officer, and he was in charge of the bombing party, whose job it was to turn the Germans out of a trench known as ‘Big Willie,’ which runs south from the Hohenzollern Redoubt. He and his party were in part of ‘Big Willie,’ which our division held, and he commenced bombing it simultaneously with the charge. They made good headway, but the attack was driven back. Harold commenced to go back along a communication trench to issue further orders to the N.C.Os. in charge of the Brigade Store, when a high explosive shrapnel shell burst close beside him. The brass nose cap and time fuse, a piece of metal about the size of a cricket ball, hit him in the right breast and came out of the left shoulder blade, killing him instantaneously. He was buried in the rear of the trenches, along with four other brave officers who fell. The time was about 2.20 p.m. on Wednesday, 13 Oct. 1915. The arrangement for the supply of bombs and grenades was excellent, but Harold had not reckoned with the attack failing. His orders were for the Brigade Store to be transferred to ‘Big Willie’ when the German front line was taken. It was not taken, and Harold was afraid that all the bombs would be brought up, as in the excitement is was very difficult for everyone to know what had happened, and probably his storekeeper would imagine that we had succeeded. If the bombs had been sent up it is very likely that a German grenade would have dropped on them and detonated the lot. To save this loss, which could not have been replaced under at least an hour, Harold went back and met his death. He had done a very good work; he was in front of his men, throwing bombs and encouraging the others, and without a doubt was the means of keeping the bombers together. Only three of his party got out safely, and they cannot say anything good enough about him; they say he was marvellous. Enclosed is a rough map of the trenches. Harold was at A bombing to the left. The battalion were in the trench marked B, and they charged across the open to ‘Big Willie.’ I was at C with the machine guns covering Harold’s party. We two were isolated from the battalion during the attack, so I don’t think there is another officer who could tell you more than I can, except N. C. Joseph, who was the battalion bombing officer, and he lies now at the Bournbrook Hospital with a broken jaw and a bullet in each leg. We have heard from him, and he writes it will be about ten weeks before he is able to speak, but he could write you and give fuller particulars, as he was with Harold all the time. By 4 p.m. Thursday, 14 Oct. the Hohenzollern Redoubt and ‘Big Willie’ were entirely in our hands, at the cost of about 170 officers and 4,000 men.”