Name
Robert Harold Beckh
1/01/1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
15/08/1916
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Second Lieutenant
East Yorkshire Regiment
12th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CABARET-ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY, SOUCHEZ
Marquillies Com. Cem. German Extn. Mem. 24
France
Headstone Inscription
WHO FELL AND WAS BURIED BY THE ENEMY IN MARQUILLIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION BUT WHOSE GRAVE IS NOW LOST EDUCATED AT HAILEYBURY & SCHOLAR OF JESUS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE
UK & Other Memorials
Broxbourne Town Memorial, St Augustine’s Church Memorial, Broxbourne, Haileybury College Cloister Wall Memorial, Hertford Heath, Hoddesdon and Rye Park Town Memorial, Hoddesdon, St Catherine and St Paul’s Church Memorial, Hoddesdon, St Augustine's Church Memorial, Hoddesdon, Not on the Great Amwell memorials, Jesus Collage Cambridge WW 1 Memorial
Pre War
Robert Harold BECKH was born in Kensington, London, on 1st January 1894, son of Victor Ferdinand Beckh a Merchant and Edith Maria Beckh (Ledward), of “Theal” Great Amwell, Herts. One of four children.
Baptised on 3rd February 1894, at All Saints Church, Notting Hill, Kensington, London.
1901 Census records Robert aged 7, living with his parents, sisters Doris (5) and Ivy (1) at Rose Valley, Hoddesdon, Herts, the family had two Domestic servants, a Nurse and a cook. His elder brother Leonard (11) was away at boarding school in Folkestone, Kent.
Robert was educated at Haileybury Collage, Haileybury, Hertford, Herts, from 1908 – 1913, and Jesus Collage, Cambridge.
1911 Census records Robert (17) as a student at Haileybury Collage, Haileybury, Herts, his parents, brother Leonard (21) a Mercantile Clerk and sister Ivy (10), are living at Hillhead, St Catherine's, Broxbourne, Herts. The family had three Domestic Servants.
Wartime Service
Robert had spent just one year at Jesus College, Cambridge before volunteering with his very close friend from Prep School. He enlisted in September 1914, as a Private in the 18th (1st Public Schools) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, believing the best training for an Officer was through the ranks. He spent most of 1915, training, he was Gazetted 2nd Lieutenant to the 12th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment in mid-1915, he was sent to France in March 1916, seeing action on the Western Front, he was killed on the night of the 15th August 1916, while leading a four-man night patrol through German wire when they came across a German position, Robert was shot and died. He was initially buried by the Germans with two other British Soldiers in the Marquillies Communal German Cemetery Extension.
After the war it was planned to move the bodies to Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, France, but Robert’s body was lost in transit, he is commemorated on a memorial in the Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery.
Additional Information
His effects of £69-02-04, pay owing and his war gratuity of £5, went to his father Victor.
Robert Beckh published a collection of poems "Swallows in Storm and Sunlight". An early poem expresses his disgust that, even in wartime, industrial unrest should afflict the Nation.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Malcolm Lennox, Karen Smith - Acting Director of External Relations www.haileybury.com/honour, Richard Barber
