Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Tyne Cot Memorial | Panel 75 to 77. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.116 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 44D GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Warwickshire Masonic Memorial | Erdington | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Mary Beacham, of Ipsley Mount, Redditch, and the late Arthur Beacham.Probate record shows: BEACHAM, Cecil James of Ipsley Mount, Redditch, Warwickshire. 2nd Lieutenant in the 1/8th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. Died 9th October 1917 in action in Belgium. Probate administered at Birmingham 12th December to Arthur Conway Beacham - Manufacturer's Manager and Seymour George Beacham - Bank Manager. Effects £4121 18s 7d.
Education & Career :
Commercial Traveller (1910)
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1/8 Worcestershire Regiment |
1/8th Battalion August 1914 : in Worcester Part of Gloucester and Worcester Brigade, South Midland Division. Moved on mobilisation to Swindon but very quickly on to Maldon in Essex. 31 March 1915 : landed at Boulogne. 15 May 1915 : formation became the 144th Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division. November 1917 : moved with the Division to Italy. 17 September 1918 : retuned to France and attached to 75th Brigade in 25th Division. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Detail :
2/Lieutenant Cecil James BEACHAM of the 8th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment was killed in action on 9/10/17. He was one of three officers and 109 other ranks of the 8th Bn to become casualties on this day at the Battle of Poelcapelle during 3rd Ypres. The 48th Division attacked SE of the village. The start line was Adler Farm to Terrier Farm with Inch and Oxford Houses as the objectives.1/8th Worcesters were supporting 1/7 Worcesters in the attack. D Coy was called forward at 1700 hrs when 1/7 Worcesters stuck in front of Oxford House. Cecil BEACHAM was struck by Machine Gun fire and D Coy (now officer-less) was forced back. The attack only gained Adler Farm. The 1921 Masonic Roll of Honour lists him serving in the RAF. Sources; John Cotterell Official History Military Operations France & Belgium 1917 Vol II
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Seymour No. 2804 E.C. | Warwickshire |
| Joined : | Mendelssohn No. 2661 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
5th February 1910 | 30th January 1911 | 4th February 1911 |
He was initiated into Mendelssohn Lodge No. 2661 in 1910 and resigned from this Lodge during the Great War 10th April 1915. He had, however, joined Seymour Lodge on the 6th February 1913, that service being stopped short, the record in the United Grand Lodge of England that he was "Killed in action - Oct 1917
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley