Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Loos Memorial | Panel 39 and 40. Loos | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.116 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 33A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Son of Joseph and Eliza Bell.He married Eveline Simpkin in 1908 and they had a son in 1910.
Family :
Wife - Eveline nee Simpkin of 22, Norwood Grove, Headingley, Leeds on the 29th April 1908 at All Saints in Leeds.Son - Stanley (b. 1910)
Education & Career :
He was the Manager of the Labour Exchange in 1911.
He is commemorated on the Staff Memorial at the Ministry of Labour which now hangs in Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1 where he is listed as a clerk.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1/5 West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) |
1/5th Battalion August 1914 : in York. Part of West Riding Brigade, West Riding Division. Moved on 10 August to Selby, end of the month to Strenshall and late October to York. In March 1915 moved to Gainsborough. 15 April 1915 : landed at Boulogne. 15 May1915 : formation became 146th Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Division. |
| Action : The Arras Offensive and associated actions |
9 April - 16 June 1917. The Arras Offensive consisted of a series of linked attacks starting with the Anglo Canadian assault on the dominant Vimy Ridge feature through the battles in the Scarpe River valley and up to the assaults on the Hindenburg line in the summer of 1917.
Detail :
His death was reported in the Leeds Mercury on the 1st May, 1917:- "Second-Lieut. Joseph Bell, killed in action, was the second son of the late Mr. Joseph Bell, of York. He was married, and leaves a widow and three children, who reside in Leeds. He joined as a private in the early days of the war, and received a commission in 1915. Prior to joining the army, he was a secretary of a labour bureau, at York, and also served in similar capacities at Yeadon and Scunthorpe."
The Yorkshire Evening Post of the 2nd May, 1917 provides a little more detail: "Second-Lieut. Joseph BELL, West Yorkshires killed in action on April 17, was well-known in Leeds and York and enlisted soon after the outbreak of war. He was wounded in the summer battle of 1916, and returned to the front at the beginning of this year. He was killed while engaged in bring in the dead from "No Man's Land." He was 36 years of age, and leaves a widow and three children, who reside at 262 York Road, Leeds. Previous to the war Lieut. Bell was manager of the Labour Exchange at Yeadon, and later occupied a similar position at Scunthorpe."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Agricola No. 1991 E.C. | Yorkshire (North & East Ridings) |
| Joined : | St Lawrence No. 2078 E.C. | Lincolnshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th January 1907 | 25th February 1907 | 25th March 1907 |
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