Dedicated to the memory of all the men and women of the South Staffordshire area who died during the two World Wars.
John Wa[l]ter[s] Beamond was born at Marston in 1893, the son of Thomas and Marianne. The family frequently moved around within the local area: In 1891 they lived at Marston where Thomas is recorded as a master grocer; in 1901 the lived in School Lane, Brewood where Thomas was working as an ordinary labourer; by 1911 they lived in Lapley Village, next to the Post Office and Thomas worked as a domestic gardener; they later moved to The Bache, Penkridge.
By 1911 John (aged 17) had left home and was living in Albrighton where he worked as under gardener for the Rector of Donington. In September 1914, soon after the outbreak of war, he volunteered for the army - joining the newly formed 7th Service Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment. He went to Gallipoli with his battalion, landing at Sulva Bay on 7th August, 1915. The Battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli and travelled back via Egypt to France - just in time for the 1916 Somme Campaign.
As part of the 11th (Northern) Division, the 7th South Staffords took part in several phases of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. They then moved to Belgium where they fought in the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). John Beamond was killed on 4th October, 1917 during the Battle of Broodseinde phase of Passchendaele. The Battalion War Diary records:
4 [October, 1917] Attack carried out on enemy positions round POELCAPELLE. . . Total casualties during operations 4th to 7th. OFF (Killed 5, wounded 2) O.R. (Killed 41, Wounded 169, Missing 5). John is buried in Cement House Cemetery, Belgium.
Private John Walter Beamond, was awarded the Victory and British War Medals and the 1914-15 Star.
This memorial has mostly been compiled from official sources. It would be good to be able to expand it with more personal material - memories, stories, photos, etc. If you have any suitable material or any corrections please contact Greg.