Name
John William Beeton
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
27/06/1917
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
22066
Bedfordshire Regiment
8th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PHILOSOPHE BRITISH CEMETERY, MAZINGARBE
I. S. 20.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, Holy Saviour Church War Memorial, Radcliffe Rd., Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin
Pre War
We believe that John was born in Hitchin on 4 February 1895 and that his mother was Martha Jane Beeton, daughter of Michael William Beeton and Mrs Elizabeth Beeton (née Church). We can be certain of Martha’s relationship to Michael and Elizabeth, because it is confirmed in the census of 1881. John’s relationship to Martha is confirmed in his baptism record dated 18 June 1898 and by his CWGC entry.
Any confusion over the mother arises because some of John’s military records (service and pension) suggest that his mother’s name was Elizabeth.
John was born in 1895, meaning that he does not appear in the census until 1901, but in that census and 1911 he is recorded as the grandson of Michael and Elizabeth. His mother, Martha was absent from Michael and Elizabeth’s census returns for 1891 and later. She was found in 1891 as Marth J Beeton (b Hitchin) working as a general servant domestic in Glinton, Peterborough, for the Knox family.
In 1897 a marriage was recorded between Martha Jane Beeton and Stephen Elsey, the marriage was in Croydon, Surrey. Then in the 1901 and 1911 census Martha J Elsey (b Hitchin) was found living in Croydon and then Bournemouth and she had a daughter Margaret Winifred Elsey.
So it seems likely that John William Beeton was born out of wedlock and brought up by his grandparents and that he had a half sister Margaret. In 1901 he was living with his grandparents and uncle Michael S in 23 Trevor Road, Hitchin.
As a child he was a schoolboy at St. Mary's School, Hitchin. Later he was a bass singer in the choir at St. Mary's Church.
In 1911 they were still at the same address and John, now 16 was an organ builder’s apprentice. In fact he was apprenticed to Mr A.W. Hayter the organ builder of Letchworth, but before joining up was employed by the Great Northern Railway.
Official records show John to have been born in Hitchin and that he was living there when he enlisted in Bedford for service.
Wartime Service
According to John’s service record that has been found, he enlisted in Peterborough on 6 April 1915. He was 20, 5’ 6 ½” and gave his next of kin as mother (believed grandmother) Elizabeth Beeton at 23 Trevor Road, Hitchin. He became Sapper 2191. However, he only served for 67 days. Clarification of this has been found and that shows that he was discharged within three months of enlistment, considered unfit for service. The attached notes are: “Military character unsatisfactory in a military capacity. . . . . .Although unsatisfactory in a military capacity there is nothing indicated by his character to suggest that he would not make a good civilian workman.”
So he was discharged, but the reason is not clear. There are many subsequent military records for John, all associated with him as Private 22066, Bedfordshire Regiment. He must have either re-enlisted or conscripted later, and presumably in Bedford as other official records suggest.
John was given the regimental number 22066 in the 8th Bedfords. He went to France in 1916 and served on the Somme and at Cambrai. He was killed in action in France.
At the time of his death the Battalion was in the Hulluch Sector in the area of Posen Alley with trench raids taking place on both sides.
He was buried in Plot I, Row S, Grave 20 in the Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe, France.
Additional Information
His pension record card gives his mother (believed grandmother) as Mrs Elizabeth Beeton as living at 18 Trevor Road, Hitchin. Curiously another card records that John William was actually Baton and that Beeton was an alias, but this appears to have been a mistake in misreading his service record.
After his death £1 10s 7d was authorised to go to his Elizabeth (recorded as mother) on 10 October 1917 and later a war gratuity of £8 10s was authorised on 11 November 1919, to go to her.
From his pension records that list Elizabeth as his mother, money was paid and there was due to be a pension paid, however the later pension ledger which correctly lists Elizabeth as his grandmother, notes record that any award (presumably pension) was refused. Possibly John gave Elizabeth as his mother on his service record because she had brought him up, or perhaps because she might have received a pension if he died. Bizarrely although his pension ledger correctly gives his regiment, address and that Elizabeth was his grandmother, it incorrectly gives his service number as 23066.
An in memoriam notice was placed in the local paper on the 29 June 1918 it read:
“In loving memory of John William Beeton, who was killed in action in France, June 27, 1917.
A sudden change: at God's command he fell;
He had no chance to bid his friends farewell.
A call came, without warning given,
and bid him haste to meet his God in heaven.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
