William Edward Beer
Rank: Private
Service Number: 31158
Date of Birth: 1880
Regiment: 1/4th Bn York & Lancaster Regt
Date of Death: 19 October 1917
Age at death: 37
Cemetery / Memorial: Nine Elms British Cemetery
Country: Belgium
Grave / Reference: V.C.7.
Relatives: Son of William and Emily Beer
Address: 4 The Green, Hadleigh
William Edward Beer was born in Ipswich in 1880. In 1881 he was living at home in Ipswich with his parents; William and Emily and siblings; Emily and Alice. It seems that the family had very little connection with Hadleigh until some time after 1911 when William’s parents moved to Hadleigh. This is probably why his name appears on the Hadleigh War Memorial.
1911 Census.
The photo above shows Private Willie Rolfe c.1902 and was taken at T Atkinson's studio in Harold's Cross, Dublin while Willie was serving in Ireland with the Suffolk Militia.
We know that William lived for some time in Sheffield because it was there where he enlisted into the York & Lancaster Regiment.
He was mobilised in March 1916 and landed in France in September. During his time in France he suffered trench foot and was once wounded and evacuated to England before his final fatal wounding during the Battle of Passchendaele.
In October 1917 as the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) raged, the 1/4th York and Lancaster Regiment were in the vicinity of Potijze (one mile east of the centre of Ypres).
The battalion war diary entry for 16-17 October reports; ‘Tents had to be struck during daylight as a precaution against enemy aircraft and very uncomfortable days were spent in the open’. 18 October at 11am; ‘an enemy aircraft dropped bombs on the camp causing 50 casualties”.
Among those injured was Private William Edward Beer he was taken into hospital and reported as ‘very collapsed and suffering several sever bomb wounds in his arms, legs and back. His condition was very low because he had lost such a lot of blood’. He died two days later and was buried at Nine Elms cemetery just outside Poperinge.
