Walter Bell
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Walter Bell was born at Cornsay, County Durham in 1892, one of 11 children, the 5th born son of 7 he had 2 elder and 1 younger sister. His father William Bell of Willington born in 1858 married in the district of Durham in 1881 to Irish immigrant Catherine O’Donnell born 1863. They initially settled at Willington where their first child John was born in 1882, then on to Ushaw Moor the birthplace of Ralph born 1884. By 1886 they had moved to Cornsay, William supported his family employed as a bricklayer. Their family had grown with the birth of William in 1886, Mary 1887 and Rowland 1888, Walter was born while they were living at 94 Liddell Street. His brothers Thomas, George and James, sisters Letitia and Monica were born between 1883 and 1906. By 1901 his elder brothers Ralph (17) and William (15) helped their father supporting the family employed as colliery labourers below ground, they had moved to 20, Stable Street but had returned to 95, Liddell Street by 1911. William and his elder children were now all employed at the colliery, Walter (18) worked below ground as a putter.
Walter enlisted at Quebec on the outbreak of war assigned as Private 2033 to the Durham Light Infantry, 1st/8th Battalion, Northumbrian Division. August 3rd 1914 the Battalion was at its annual camp at Conway in Wales when the order came to return to Durham. Their train arrived the following day and they were moved to coastal defences at Roker and Whitburn. Over the next 9 months the new recruits were trained at Boldon, Ravensworth and Newcastle-upon-Tyne for overseas service.
Private Bell departed from Newcastle station April 19th 1915 arriving in France the following day with the 1st/8th Battalion, attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division, as part of the British Expeditionary Force and moved immediately to the Ypres salient in Belgium to the trenches at Armentieres and Kemmel, where they remained until August 1916. During his service he rose to the rank of Corporal.
Corporal 2033 Walter Bell Durham Light Infantry was killed in action February 9th 1916 and buried on the battlefield by his comrades, his grave marked with a cross bearing his military details. After the Armistice during the clearing of the battlefield his remains were found, exhumed and could only be identified by means of an envelope found on his person. He was brought into Maple Copse British Cemetery, West-Vlaanderens, near Ypres, Belgium, September 3rd 1921 and reburied with all honour and reverence by an Army chaplain, grave II. D. 4. At the time of his demise he was 24 years old and single.
His father William received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the envelope found on his remains, sent to him at Percy Place, Lanchester, County Durham. He commissioned at a cost of 9 shillings an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Will Never Be Forgotten Rest In Peace.”
Walter's first cousin Christopher Bell served under the alias of Private 33 Robert Millward with the 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. He was shipped back to England from Palestine and admitted to St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth on the outskirts of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland where he died November 30th 1918. Interred at Willington Cemetery, County Durham with military honours he was 28 years old and single, recipient of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Walter Bell is remembered at Malton on M49.01 at Lanchester on L62.01 L62.02 and L62.04 and at Durham in the The DLI Book of Remembrance page 23
