Roll of Honour - Suffolk

Ministry of Defence

Lest We Forget

The Royal British Legion

BELSTEAD WAR MEMORIAL

World War 1 & 2 - Roll of Honour with detailed information
Compiled and copyright © Jean Austin & Jennifer Jones 2005

The War Memorial takes the form of a Celtic Cross in the centre of the village; there is also a Roll of Honour in the Church. There is a memorial book, compiled in 2003 by Jennifer Jones, in the Parish Church, containing photographs of the graves or memorials of most of the men of the North Samford Benefice (Belstead, Bentley, Burstall, Copdock & Washbrook, Sproughton and Tattingstone) who died in the First World War.


	Photographs Copyright © Jean Austin & Jennifer Jones - 2005

Photographs from old postcards

Unveiling of the War Memorial early 1920’s

In Honoured Memory of
The men of this Parish
Who fell in the Great War 1914 – 1918

BAKER	Ernest (Charles Ernest)	Private 66359 12th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) formerly 39982 Northamptonshire Regiment. Killed in action 31 July 1917, France/Flanders. Born 1886 Belstead, son of Charles and Ann Baker. Enlisted Ipswich, lived Belstead. Commemorated on the Menin Gate, Eiper and on the Belstead war memorial
BROOKS	George	Private 27270, 7th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). Killed in action 28 April 1917, France/Flanders. Born 1890 Belstead, enlisted Ipswich, lived Belstead. Husband of Mrs Emily Brooks. Commemorated on Arras Memorial, France and Belstead War Memorial.
BURTON	George Ethelbert Earnshaw	Lieutenant, 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment, died of wounds 16 July 1916. EADT 20 July 1916 – news item: Lt George Burton was the younger son of Mr and Mrs Bunnell Burton of Belstead Road, Ipswich and soon after the war broke out, he joined the Suffolk Territorial Battalion but only recently went out to the front. Prior to the outbreak of war, he was engaged in the business of Messrs Burton, Son and Saunders. He was married and leaves a widow and a young son only a few weeks old. He was educated at Cheam in Surrey and at Eton and before entering upon his business career at the Manchester branch, spent a year in France. Buried at Heilly Cemetery, Mericourt L’Abbe, France and commemorated on the Belstead war memorial.
CREASY	Charles	Corporal 43145, 7th Battalion Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action 12 October 1916 France/Flanders. Formerly 845 Suffolk Cyclists Regiment. Born 1890 at Kettleburgh, son of Mr and Mrs A Creasy of 30 Belstead. Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial and on the Belstead war memorial.
CREASY	Ernest William	Private 79167 2nd Bt Royal Fusiliers. Died of wounds 18 November 1918, age 18. Son of Arthur and Caroline Creasey of Belstead. Buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France. He was the brother of the above Charles Creasey.
DEATH	Henry	Guardsman 15198, 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. Killed in action 8 November 1914, Ypres area, age 27. Born Prittlewell Essex, enlisted Southend. Buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, near Eiper and commemorated on the Belstead war memorial and also on the Southend on Sea County Borough Roll of Honour at Priory Park, Southend, Essex war memorial. There is no apparent link to Belstead, further research is required.
GILL	Albert	Private 88049, Royal Army Medical Corps. Killed in action 21 March 1918 France/Flanders. Born 1887 Belstead son of Walter and Charlotte Gill; husband of Mrs Amy Gill. Enlisted Ipswich, lived Belstead. Commemorated on Arras Memorial, France and Belstead War Memorial.
GILL	Henry	Private 1383, 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action 21 March 1915 France/Flanders. Possibly serving in Army prior to outbreak of war. Born 1885 Belstead son of Walter and Charlotte Gill. Enlisted Ipswich. Commemorated on Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France and on the Belstead war memorial.
HAZELTON	Alfred	Private 3889, 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action 18 August 1916 France/Flanders. Born Belstead son of Alfred and Ada Hazelton of 41 Belstead. Enlisted Ipswich. Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France and on Belstead war memorial.
JOHNSON	Ernest James	Private 29711, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 27 March 1918, France/Flanders. Born 1887 Sproughton son of Joseph and Hannah Johnson. Wife of Florence Ada Johnson of Reading Room Cottage, Sproughton. Among his siblings were two sets of twins – William (who died soon after birth) and Arthur born in 1891 and George and William born 1893. Enlisted Bury St Edmunds, lived Belstead. Commemorated on the Arras memorial, France and on the Belstead and Sproughton war memorials. Also commemorated (with his brother George who was also killed in action in France) on his parents’ gravestone in Sproughton Churchyard (at East end of Churchyard, between church and river and near a Horse Chestnut tree)
KNOCK	George Alec	Private 19743, 10th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment. Died of wounds 7 April 1918 France/Flanders. Enlisted Cheltenham. Buried in Suzanne No 3 Military Cemetery and commemorated on the Belstead war memorial.
MARTIN	Arthur James	Private 6450, 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, formerly 5186 Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action 29 April 1915 France/Flanders. Born 1881 Shotley, son of George and Emma Martin. Enlisted Ipswich. Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France and on the Belstead war memorial.
PILBROW	Frank William	Rifleman S/11444, 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own). Died of wounds 28 June 1916 France/Flanders. Born 1885 Henley, Suffolk, son of James and Emma Pilbrow. Enlisted Ipswich, lived Belstead. EADT 13 July 1916 – Deaths whilst on service: Pilbrow – on 28 June 1916 Frank William Pilbrow died of wounds in France. Second son of James and Emma Pilbrow of Belstead, age 31. Buried in Mailly Wood Cemetery, France and commemorated on the Belstead war memorial.
SOUTHGATE	Albert	Private Suffolk Regiment. No further information currently available
SOUTHGATE	(Alfred) William	Private 3995, 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Died 18 January 1917 France/Flanders. Born 1890 Washbrook son of Oliver and Jane Southgate. EADT 23 January 1917 - Deaths Whilst on Service: On 18 January at 12 General Hospital, Rouen, France, Private A W Southgate, Suffolk Regiment, eldest and beloved son of Mr and Mrs Oliver Southgate of Belstead, in his 28th year. Enlisted Ipswich. Buried in the St Sever Cemetery, France and commemorated on the Belstead war memorial.
Their name liveth for evermore Belstead born men not named on village memorial
HARDWICK	Walter	Private 201349, 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, formerly 4079 Suffolk Regiment . Killed in action 23 April 1917 France/Flanders. Born 1887 Belstead son of Charles and Emily Hardwick (who lived at Pann Cottages, Wherstead from about 1888). Enlisted Bury St Edmunds, lived Wherstead. Walter had his photograph taken on 17 April 1917 when on leave – six days later he was killed in action. Commemorated on the Arras memorial and on Wherstead memorial.
HAZELTON	Frederick	Private 235119, 2nd/7th Worcestershire Regiment. Died 18 August 1917 France/Flanders. Born 1886 Belstead son of Joseph and Amelia Hazelton. Buried at White House Cemetery, St Jean Les Eiper and commemorated on Wherstead memorial.
HOOD	Alfred Thomas	Gunner 93731, 155th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. Died of wounds 17 October 1917 France/Flanders. Born 1883 Belstead son of Thomas and Eliza Hood (Thomas Hood was one of the village carriers); wife of Mrs Elsie Hood of 25 Belstead; Alfred Thomas Hood married Elsie Maude Clarke at Belstead 1 May 1909. Enlisted Ipswich. Buried at Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium and commemorated on the Tuddenham St Martin war memorial.
NORFOLK	John	Private 21153, 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment. Killed in action 3 July 1916 France/Flanders. Born 1887 Belstead son of John and Rachel Norfolk and the grandson of Thomas and Rachel Pinner who lived at ‘Charity Cottages’ Belstead. Enlisted and resident Colchester. He is Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and on the Colchester War Memorial.
Not commemorated on the Belstead war memorial but information included on parents’ gravestones in Belstead churchyard
MASON	Wilfred Howard	2nd Lt Royal Engineers, eighth son of George Claver and Loetitia Maria Mason, husband of Glady Mason, killed in action at the crossing of the Dialah River, Mesopotania 9 March 1917 age 32 years. CWGC information: 72nd Field Company, husband of Gladys Mason, of "Choisy", Probus, Cornwall. Buried in grave XX G.13, Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery. See also Camborne School of Mines
MASON	Kenneth Ralph	2nd Lt 4th Battalion Suffolk Regt. Youngest son of George Calver and Loetitia Maria Mason who was killed in action and buried at St Vaast’s Post, France, 21 June 1915, age 27 years.
Also of those who fell in the Second Great War 1939 - 1945
GREEN	William	PO/X3517 Royal Marines. Died 25 November 1941 on HMS Barham, age 22. Son of Frederick and Jane (nee Southgate) Green. Commemorated on Panel 59, column 1 Portsmouth Naval Memorial. William Green was one of the 862 men killed on the 31,100 ton battleship HMS Barham which was out on a sortie with other ships from Alexandria. German U-boat U-331 fired a spread of 4 torpedoes towards the group, 3 of which hit HMS Barham's port side causing it to list heavily and spread fire towards the ammunition storages. Only 2 and a half minutes passed from the torpedo impact until the ship rolled onto its side and the aft magazine exploded killing 862 out of its roughly 1260 man complement. He was the son of Fred and Jane Green of 32 Belstead and first cousin of William Southgate (named below).
SOUTHGATE	William [Alfred]	RMB/X490 Musician, Royal Marines Band. Died 19 December 1941 on HMS Neptune, age 24. Son of Percy Oliver and Ellen Miriam Southgate of Belstead. Commemorated on Panel 60, column 1, Portsmouth Naval Memorial. The Royal Naval Cruiser HMS Neptune was sunk by mines in Libyan waters on the night of 19/20 December 1941 with the loss of 764 seamen. For more details see www.hmsneptune.com which has a picture of Royal Marine bandsmen, taken in July 1941.
WARREN	Albert [William]	14520010 Private, 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment. Died 1 March 1945 in Germany age 21. Son of William and Alice Warren of Belstead. Buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany (48H.14). Albert attended Belstead village school.
Other conflict details
SMITH	Samuel	On gravestone of his parents (Samuel and Harriet Smith) in Belstead churchyard: “Samuel Smith, their second son, died in Crimea 11 December 1854”.
Not on memorial but has Belstead connections
WILKINSON	Hary Stanley	Gunner 905167, 67 Medium Regt Royal Artillery. Died 9 January 1943. Son of Harry Stanley and Alice Wilkinson, husband of Violet Wilkinson of Belstead. Buried at Caserta War Cemetery, Italy

Last updated 10 April, 2018

War Memorials Trust