Remembering theBeckley Boys whodied in Great War

Beckley Village Centre was packed last Friday with close relatives of WWI Beckley soldiers and villagers who came along to listen to the long awaited talk ‘Beckley Boys’.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Sep 2014, 05:45 BST
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The illustrated talk by local historian and parish council chairman Bernard Baverstock, concentrated on the twenty one ‘Beckley Boys’ who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War, and who are commemorated on the parish war memorial.

The occasion was particularly poignant, as the first Beckley man Edward Playford, captured in the retreat from Mons, died of his wounds on the September 5, 1914, exactly 100 years ago.

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A spellbound and sometimes tearful audience listened to the stories and tragic accounts of the short young lives of those; the evening made all the more moving by the accompanying photographs being shown collectively for the first time. One such photograph was that of Bert Catt from Hayes Farm Cottages in Beckley, who was killed by shrapnel on the evening of 20th March 1915. Bert left school at 13 and then laboured on the land. He must have lied about his age to join up.

The event was supported bv Beckley Parish Council.