Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Ploegsteert Memorial | Panel 2 and 3. Ploegsteert | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.116 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 27C GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Warwickshire Masonic Memorial | Erdington | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Thomas Burnet Bethell, of 5, The Quadrant, Coventry, and the late Annie Jane Bethell. Member of the Inner Temple see page 2 of Members of the Inner Temple who served in the Great War. D CoyEducation & Career :
He went to Shrewsbury School. He was in School House and left in 1902.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2/7 Royal Warwickshire Regiment |
2/7th Battalion Formed in Coventry in October 1914 as a second line battalion. Became part of 2nd Warwickshire Brigade, 2nd South Midland Division. August 1915 : redesignated as 182nd Brigade, 61st (2nd South Midland) Division. Landed in France on 21 May 1916. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Detail :
Killed in action in Belgium 19th July 1916.
Remembered on Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium. Panel 2 and 3.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Saint Michael's No. 1630 E.C. | Warwickshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
26th March 1908 | 29th October 1908 | 28th October 1909 |
Immediate Past Master
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