Private
William BEATS
Infantry
Died: 3rd November 1918 - Age: 33

Commemorated:

1. Grave:Cologne Southern CemeteryXIII. E. 15.
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.116
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour39D GQS
4. Memorial:Liverpool Masonic Hall War MemorialCol.1. Hope St.
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Early Life :

The majority of this legend is courtesy of Geoff Cuthill of the Province of West Lancashire, to whom the project is grateful.

William was born 1889 in Pimlico, London, to George and Emily Beats (nee Pryke), his father having been born in Dumfries, Scotland, his mother at Croxton, Norfolk, their marriage taking place in London a year previous.. The family had moved to Liverpool around 1892, and in 1901 were living at 19 Baines Place, Breck Road, St. Domingo, Everton, George being a Policeman. The census of 1911 sees the family at 50 Windsor Street but sadly shows that of the thirteen children only five are still living. Williams father George dies the following year, but his wife lives until 1937.

William, who was the eldest child, had twelve siblings, George who was born in Surrey in 1890 and died in Liverpool in 1896, while all the others were born in the Liverpool area, Martha Lilian (1891-1900), Florence May (born 1892), Ernest (1893-94), Robert James (born 1895), Agnes Emily (1898-1908), Sydney George (1899-1928), Alice Lilian (born 1900), Leonard George (born 1902), Thomas (b&d 1903), Dorothy Flowerdew (born 1905) and Emily (born 1910).

At the time of William’s death in 1918 all the children lived with their widowed mother, Emily, at 65 White Rock Street, in Tuebrook, except Emily, who had married a Mr Kennedy Campbell in 1915, and lived at 12 Sutton Street, Tuebrook, not that far away. Kennedy had been born around 1888 at Parkhead, Glasgow, the third child of Kennedy and Mary Campbell, the family moving to Liverpool sometime between 1896 and 1900.

William married Rose Annie Howe on 15th September 1909, at the Registry Office on West Derby Road Liverpool, and at the time of the 1911 census they are living at 73 Marlborough Road, Tuebrook, Old Swan. Staying with them are Rose’s two twin sisters age 17, Maud and Mabel, and all four are recorded as having been born in London, Rose is age 22 born 1887, while William, a Cashier Book-keeper for a General Merchant is 22 born in 1889.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: 6/Gordon Highlanders 

Action : POW 

PoW includes men who are identified as having died whilst formal Prisoners of War.

Detail :

Service No. S/44228 - Private William Beats, 6th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders.

William attested for overseas service with the regular army on 15th May 1916, at Liverpool, age given as 31 years 5 month; however a later paper records him as being 31 years 8 months on 22nd February 1917.

He was described on enlistment as Department Manager and Cashier, having previously served five years as a territorial soldier with the Liverpool Scottish. He was given a new number of 9362 with the rank of Acting Piper to A Company, 3rd Reserve Battalion, Liverpool Scottish, stationed at Oswestry. William was described as having fair to good physical development, height five foot eight and a half inches, with both eyes having 6.36 vision (with glasses), and his religion being given as both Presbyterian and Church of England. On re-numbering of the men of the Battalion, William was designated as 358979.

It is probable that William was previously No. 1323, Acting Piper, mentioned in Issue 2 of the Liverpool Scottish Gazette of May 1910, as transferred from C to D Company, and again in 1911 as being promoted to Piper. He probably left when his term of engagement terminated and re-enlisted in 1916.

William stayed with the Liverpool Scottish until his transfer to the 6th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders as Private S/44228 on 18th September 1918, being posted abroad to his unit on 6th October. William was immediately in action on the front line, and was first reported as being wounded on the 12th October, later reported as missing. He had been captured by the Germans, who moved him to Reserve Hospital II, Hammomia Section, Aix- la- Chappelle. The German Chief Medical Officer reported the following, William Beats, resident Liverpool, born London, Protestant, age 30, husband to Rose Howe died on 3 November 1918 at 9.30 p.m. from wounds to the leg and lung while a Prisoner of War at No.2 General Hospital, Aachen.

Soldiers Died in the Great war confirm date of death as 3rd November 1918 and that he died of wounds in Germany. The Soliders' Effects registry show further that he died at No.2 German Hospital, at Aachen whilst as a Prisoner of War. His war service was classed as being 2 years 173 days, and his widow was awarded a pension from the Government on 14th July 1919 of 13 shillings and 9 pence per week.

Probate record shows: BEATS, William of 73 Marlborough Road, Tuebrook, Liverpool. Private, 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. Died 3rd November 1918 at Aachen, Germany. Administration at Liverpool 12th June to Rose Annie Beats - widow. Effects £333 6s.

William lies in Cologne Southern Cemetery in plot XIII.E.15. His family would have been received the British War Medal and Victory Medal to which he was entitled, and he is commemorated at St. John the Baptist, Green Lane, Tuebrook, Liverpool, Liverpool Masonic Hall Memorial, Hope Street, Scroll of Honour at Freemasons Hall, London, and the Roll of Honour Book of United Grand Lodge, published in 1921.

He is more personally remembered, on the memorial of the 23rd Liverpool Company, The Boy’s Brigade,situated within a wooden cabinet in the foyer of Holy Trinity Parish Church, Richmond Park, Anfield.

Two of his brothers saw service during the war; Sydney George Beats was a private with the Border Regiment (35385) and Robert James was a private with the Scots Guards (16381)

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Bootle-Wilbraham No. 2463 E.C.Unknown

Initiated
Passed
Raised
22nd January 1914
26th February 1914
26th March 1914
 

William was initiated into Bootle Wilbraham Lodge No 2463 on 22nd January 1914, at Knotty Ash, Liverpool, a Cashier residing at 73 Marlborough Road, Liverpool. He was passed to the degree of a fellow-craft on 26 February and raised to a master mason on 26 March with his Grand Lodge Certificate issued 15 April 1914.
Steward

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2021-02-03 08:42:16