Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
William Beadle married Appleby girl Hannah Warwick in 1873, and when Henry was born in 1881 they were living in the Gamekeeper’s House at Marwood in Teesdale. They had eight children, John, Edith, Emily, Henry, William, Thomas, Annie, who died aged 8, and Esther. By 1891 William was the gamekeeper on the estate of Staindrop vicar Rev. H.C. Lipscomb and the family were living in Watcher House, Marwood, and ten years later when Henry was 20 he was working as a cattle stockman for the Lowrey family at Marwood Grange.
In 1906 he married Elizabeth Pigg, a servant from Chester le Street, and at the next census he was working as a conveyor puller in a coal mine and living in Chopwell. By 1913 Henry was in Canada and was joined in Salford, Ontario by Elizabeth and their two sons, John and Harry, in August, after they had arrived in Quebec on board the SS Laurentic.
On 15th February 1915 labourer Henry enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at London, Ontario, citing his experience of three years in the Northumberland Fusiliers and giving as his next of kin Elizabeth who had returned to live with her mother in Catchgate near Annfield Plain, before moving to live with Henry’s mother in King Street, Barnard Castle.
Henry became Private 54218 in the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion and after initial training sailed for England at the end of April on board the SS Grampian. Based at West Sandling Henry was promoted to Acting Corporal and with the rest of the Battalion arrived in Boulogne on 15th September 1915, and would have served through the autumn and winter on the front south of Ypres.
After two weeks leave in England in January 1916 Henry was in hospital with epididymitis for four weeks, and on rejoining his unit was promoted to full corporal. On the front line Henry received a “slight” gunshot wound to his legs on 24th June and was treated by no.5 Canadian Field Ambulance; returning to his unit he was promoted to Acting Sergeant for two weeks whilst Sgt. Ross was in hospital, and then promoted to full Sergeant in August.
On 15th September 1916, exactly one year since Henry had first arrived in France, he was killed in action at the Battle of Courcelette on the Somme, one of 93 men of the 18th Battalion killed that day. The final resting place of Sergeant 54218 is not known, but he is remembered on the Vimy Memorial
Elizabeth and the two boys never returned to Canada, by 1922 they were living in Galgate, Barnard Castle, which was where Henry’s three medals, 1914/15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal, were sent.
Henry Beadle is remembered at Barnard Castle on B135.02, and as Beadale onB135.23 and B135.25
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Canadian Book of Remembrance page 51
The CWGC entry for Sergeant Beadle
