Robert James Beaumont
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: Jun 1889 - Norwich, Norfolk, England
Christening:
Death: 24 Jun 1917 - Flanders, France
Burial: 25 Jun 1917 - Mazingarbe, France
Events
• Memorial: Robert is commemorated on the war memorials in Leighton Buzzard and Ke.
• He resided at Bunkles Row, Mill Hill in 1891 in Norwich, Norfolk, England.
• He resided at 12 Barrow Path in 1901 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England.
• He worked as a brickyard labourer in 1911.
• He resided at 25 Stuart Road in 1911 in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England.
• He resided at 13 Cleveland Street in 1913 in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England.
• Robert served in the military about 1914 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England: 33777.
• He served in the military about 1914 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England: joined 8th Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment.
• He resided at 13 Cleveland Street in 1914 in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England.
• Robert served in the military on 10 Aug 1915 in The Balkans: posted to the Balkans.
• He served in the military about 1916: promoted to sergeant.
• Robert served in the military on 24 Jun 1917 in Flanders, France: killed in action.
• He served in the military on 24 Sep 1920: posthumously awarded the Victory Medal.
Parents
Father: William Beaumont (1865-1950)
Mother: Minnie Clements (1864-1940)
Spouses and Children
1. *Beatrice Esther Bellamy (30 Jan 1890 - Jun 1968)
Marriage: 3 Aug 1908 - Kempston, Bedfordshire, England
Status:
Children:
1. Ruby Victoria Beaumont (1908-1908)
2. Dorothea Freda Beaumont (1909-1988)
3. Leslie James Beaumont (1912-1996)
Notes
Birth Notes:
Event Description: 3 Cat and Fiddle YardBurial Notes:
Event Description: Philosophe British War CemeteryGeneral:
The 8th (Service) Battalion, the Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great Wa rMarriage Notes (Beatrice Esther BELLAMY)
The 8th Battalion was a "service" battalion that was formed specifical ly for the duration of the war. It was raised at Bedford in October 19 14, as part of 'K3' - Lord Kitchener's 3rd 'call to arms' for anothe r 100,000 men to leave their civilian lives and enlist into the expand ing British Army. That month, the enlisted men of the 8th battalion, i n the third New Army were attached to the 71st Brigade of the 24th Div ision and remained there for a year.
The enlisted men from all over the county mustered at their local trai n stations and were transported en-masse to the Regimental HQ at Bedfo rd to be mobilised into the 8th Battalion of the regiment. Other tha n a brief spell in Brighton, most of their training was undertaken i n Surrey, with almost seven months being spent in the sprawling New Ar my training area around Woking.
Finally, the increasingly restless men of the 'Hungry 8th' (a nicknam e used in a letter home from Private 19861 Leslie Worboys) received or ders to mobilize and prepared to ship out. At 11pm on the 28th Augus t 1915, the battalion boarded the troop trains at Chobham Station an d left for Dover. After transferring straight onto troop ships, they a rrived at Boulogne early on the 30th August 1915.
Six weeks after landing in France, on the 11th October 1915, the entir e 71st Brigade was transferred with the to the 6th Division, who wer e a veteran regular army division that had been serving in France sinc e 1914. During another reorganisation on 17th November 1915, the batta lion were transferred to the 16th Brigade of the 6th Division.
The 8th Battalion served entirely in France and Flanders during the wa r and fought in every major battle during the battalion's active servi ce, gaining a reliable reputation within a professional regular divisi on and winning many gallantry medals. On the 16th February 1918, in li ne with a major shake up of the British Army, the 8th Battalion was di sbanded in France and the men were distributed amongst the other batta lions in the regiment.
The battalion was part of the 71st Brigade for their initial period o f training in 1915 and for a few weeks in France, but most of their se rvice was within the 16th Brigade, attached to the veteran 6th Divisio n. For the period the 8th battalion served within it, the following ba ttalions formed the 16th Brigade and served together as a tactical uni t:
8th Battalion, the Bedfordshire Regiment.
1st Battalion, the Buffs.
1st Battalion, the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.
2nd Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment.
During their service in the Great War, the battalion was engaged durin g the following battles:
In 1915 they were one of the few 'New Army' units to be committed to T he battle of Loos in September. They were also in the line when the ar my experienced the first German use of phosgene gas in December, losin g hundreds of men in the attack.
In 1916 they lost heavily during a massed bombardment and raid on thei r lines in April and were engaged in the battles of the Somme 1916, sp ecifically at the battle of Flers-Courcelette and the battle of Morva l in September, as well as the battle of Le Transloy in October.
In 1917 the battalion were involved in battle of Hill 70 in April an d during the Cambrai operations (also called the battle of Cambrai), s pecifically during the tank attack and the battle of Bourlon Wood in N ovember, as well as throughout the German counter attacks in Novembe r and December.
Although no Victoria Crosses were won by men whilst serving in the bat talion, many other gallantry medals were awarded during its existence . Almost 700 Officers and men of the battalion gave their lives for Ki ng and Country, with over half of them doing so in the battles of 1916 , and around 2,000 men were wounded during the battalion's tours on th e Western Front.
Several of the battalion's commanding officers were wounded in action , so some of those in the list below were temporary commanders. Howeve r, the commanding officers of the 8th battalion between 1914 and 191 8 were:
Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Stanley Curwen Kennedy, 1st October 1914 t o 26th September 1915, when he was gassed at the Battle of Loos and re turned to England wounded.
Captain (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) John Sinclair Liddell, C.M.G. , D.S.O., 11th October 1915 to 13th January 1916, when he was moved t o another battalion.
Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Henry Cholmondeley Jackson, D.S.O ., 14th January 1916 to 17th April 1916, when he was wounded at Ypres . From his spell in command of the battalion, he went on to comman d a Brigade, then a Division, finally becoming a full General and beco ming the Colonel of the Regiment between 1935 and 1948. A full biograp hy can be seen here.
Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) William Rowland Harris Dann, D.S. O., 17th April 1916 to 19th May 1916, when he was also wounded at Ypre s. He went on to command a London Regiment unit.
Captain (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) D.M. Hawkins, 19th May 1916 t o 1st June 1916.
Colonel Lord Henry Scott, 2nd June 1916 to 4th April 1917, after whic h he was promoted to G.H.Q.
Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Oliver Villers Russell, the Lord Ampthill, 5 th April 1917 to 19th May 1917, when he was promoted to G.H.Q. under t he Director of Labour.
Captain (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Herbert Rochfort MacCullugh, 20 th May 1917 to 14th June 1917, after which he commanded a battalion o f the D.L.I.
Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Le Huquet, 15th June to 10th July 1917.
Lieutenant-Colonel James Robert Robertson, 20th July to 6th August 191 7, after which he commanded a Leicester Territorial battalion.
Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Le Huquet, 6th August 1917 to 16th Februar y 1918, when the battalion were disbanded in France
OBJE: _TEXT A squad of the 8th Battalion in Brighton during their training in 1915
CONC , led by one of the regular sergeants who formed the nucleus of the ba
CONC ttalion when it was originally formed. This was taken before the batta
CONC lion were shipped to France, so many of the faces you see were complet
CONC ely naive of what they were about to experience with many of them no
CONC t making it back to their families at all.
All SaintsOBJE: _TEXT Class: RG14; Piece: 8859; Schedule Number: 154