Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Detail :

An extract from The Old Edwardian’s Gazette, November 10th 1914, records: “[During mobilisation], Edmund was engaged in a collection of horses and vehicles for service with the army. A horse attached to a wagon bolted, and in trying to stop it, Captain Beech was dragged along the ground, and thrown under the wheels of the wagon, which passed over him. He sustained serious injuries to the head and body and died the same day.” He died at 4.30pm on 11th August 1914 at Birmingham Central Hospital.

Captain Edmund William Beech is buried at Brandwood End Cemetery Plot A. 2. CE 49, King's Heath, Birmingham. He is further commemorated on St Mary’s Church Memorial, Moseley. Probate shows BEECH, Edmund William of the White House Tanworth in Arden, Warwickshire, gentleman, died 11 August 1914 at the General Hospital, Birmingham. Administration Birmingham 25 August to Mabel Beech, widow. Effects £2909 5s. 4d.

Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - 13th August 1914 - reports:
"An inquest was held at Birmingham yesterday on Captain Edmund William Beech, of the 1st North Midland Field Company, Royal Engineers (Territorials), who received fatal injuries at Smethwick on Tuesday while attempting to stop a runaway horse. He was thrown down and the waggon to which the horse was attached passed over him, fracturing the base of the skull. A verdict of "Accidental Death" was returned."

Birmingham Daily Gazette - 13 August 1914 - reports: CAPT. BEECH'S DEATH. KILLED IN TRYING TO CONTROL A RESTIVE HORSE.
"The Coroner's inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Captain Edmund William Beech, of the 1st North Midland Field Company, Royal Engineers, who met with a fatal accident on Tuesday, was head yesterday at Victoria Courts. Captain Beech, who was 39 years of age, lived at White House, Tanworht-in-Arden, and was a chartered accountant by profession. From the evidence of a brother, it appeared that Captain Beech sustained injuries by attempting to stop a horse attached to a baggage wagon. As a result he died in the afternoon at the General Hospital. Lieut.-Col. Turner, of the same brigade, said Captain Beech had been for several years under his command. Witness did not see the occurence, and all those who did had gone away. From what witness was told it appeared that there was a restive horse in the grounds of Smethwick Drill Hall. Captain Beech endeavoured to control it, and was dragged some distance on the ground. A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned and sympathy was expressed with the family.

Birmingham Daily Post -15th August 1914 additionally reports on his funeral: FATALITY - FUNERAL OF CAPTAIN E.W. BEECH.
"The Masonic brethren present included Messrs, J. Headon Boocock (Provincial Grand Treasurer of Warwickshire), F.G. Swinden (Provincial Grand Secretary of Warwickshire), Messrs. Gardner Tyndal, N. Retallock, F.W. Nash, A.A. Mortimer and Dr. Denne of the Howe Lodge; and Messrs. E.S. Sumner, T.W. Wetton and Ashton Hill of other lodges."

See also: Moseley Society

Masonic :

Edmund Beech is recorded in the book, the 1921 Roll of Honour. In the records of Howe Lodge at United Grand Lodge it shows that he was a Chartered Accounted and also "Died 2nd August 1914". The date of death, although just in the frame of the Great War, would make him Britain's first recorded death, however that is acknowledged to be John Parr who died 21st August 1914?

His Lodge name and number, Howe No. 587 are memorialised on his gravestone at Brandwood End Cemetery.

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