Name
Benjamin Bettles
1873
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
23/04/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
32204
Bedfordshire Regiment
6th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Hemel Hempstead memorials, Upper Dean Memorial, Beds,
Pre War
Benjamin Bettles was born in 1873, in Dean, Bedfordshire, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Bettles, and baptised there on 5 April 1874.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at Dean, near the Farm House, where his father was an Agricultural Labourer. They remained in Dean on the 1891 Census but had moved to Wellingboro [sic] Row, at which time Benjamin was an Agricultural Labourer like his father. The family had moved to the High Street at Dean on the 1901 Census,
His father died in late 1901 and his mother in 1908, so by 1911 Benjamin had moved to Upper Dean, nr Kimbolton, Hunts and was a 34 year old single man apparently living on his own and working as a Farm Labourer.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Bedford and served with the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.
He was missing presumed dead on or since 23/29 April 1917 during the Battle of Arras. he has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.
Additional Information
A war gratuity of £5 10s and pay owing of £7 15s was divided between his brother Charles and sisters Mary, Annie, Florence, Lily, Rose and Alice. (N.B. the surname is sometimes mistranscribed as Bettler, Betters or Beetles
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, dacorumheritage.org.uk., bedfordregiment.org.uk.
