COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVE

HARRY BERTRAM BOND

The grave is that of Gunner HARRY BERTRAM BOND and is about 15 yards north of the tree next to the hand gate onto the B6012 road.

Harry was born in Beeley in 1898, youngest child of Jacob and Ellen Bond. He served as a Gunner with the 153rd Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery.

Shortly before the end of the war Harry was wounded in the back by enemy shell fire and was gassed.

Following emergency treatment in France he was brought to the Military Annexe of a hospital near Portsmouth where he died of his wounds on 30th November 1918.

He was aged 20.  His memorial inscription can be seen here (opens in a new window).

Also remembered on a gravestone to the south of the aforementioned tree and close to Church Lane are Private ERNEST REEVE and Private LEWIS HERBERT (BERT) REEVE.

Ernest served with ‘D’ Company 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters and was killed on 14th April 1917 aged 25.

His body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

Bert served with the 154th Labour Company Corps whose job involved digging trenches, providing gun emplacements and constructing roads and rail lines to the front.

Bert survived the war but then immediately fell victim to a severe bout of influenza.  He died on 18th November 1918 aged 28.  Bert is buried at Courtois (Kortrijk) in Belgium.

Neither of the Reeve brothers were born at Beeley but at the outbreak of war were living at the Devonshire Arms (Beeley) Inn where their father was farmer and landlord.