Herman Beecham was the second son of Ellis Andrew and Kate Beecham. In all they had 7 children but only 4 survived childhood. Ellis A Beecham originated from Dogdike, Lincolnshire and Kate from Kirk Sandle, Doncaster. On the 1901 census Ellis’ occupation is a miner but on the 1911 he is a boiler fireman. On the same census his eldest son Harold is working as a pit labourer and Herman is a grocer’s errand boy.
There is no trace of Herman’s service records so it is not known when he enlisted into the army. It is known that Herman was in the Royal Scots 9th Battalion and the following is an extract from John Ewing’s ‘History of the Royal Scots 1914-1919;
Herman Beecham
The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
We visited Herman's grave in April 2015
"The 9th and the 13th Royal Scots went into action on the 1st August 1918 in an attack on the German positions near Villemontoirie. Zero was fixed at 9am when the barrage was to open and 5 minutes later the assault was to begin.
The 9th Royal Scots had French troops on their right and in order to preserve liaison a platoon from ‘B’ company was detailed to act along with these.
The enemy was entrenched on wooded hills which ’D’ & ‘C’ companies were to take after which ‘A’ was to pass through ‘C’ and carry on to another wood to the rear. ‘D’ company and the liaison platoon assembled behind a hedge and the remaining companies formed up in a quarry held by ‘C’ company.
Unfortunately the barrage was ragged and desultory and the assailing companies were almost massacred by the storm of shells and machine gun bullets which deluged their ranks.
The French troops on the right of the 9th Royal Scots never stirred from their positions so the 9th Royal Scots had no support in their attempt to achieve the impossible. Of the liaison platoon only 2 men returned.
The 4/5 Black Watch and the 5th Gordons were hurriedly dispatched to reinforce the weak garrison of the Royal Scots in the front line and at 3.30pm ‘A’ company were ordered to make another attack.
The enemy’s machine gun bullets swept across No-Mans Land like sheets of driving rain and once again the Royal Scots, who alone ventured to essay the forlorn hope, were mown down before they had gone forward 100 yards.
The casualties of the 9th Royal Scots were appalling, 120 were killed, 300 wounded and 13 missing. A total which represented about 80% of the battalion’s strength.
This attack was supported in the north by a raid on the German trenches by ‘B’ & ‘C’ company’s of the 13th Royal Scots. They killed at least 15 Germans, destroyed 4 machine gun emplacements and captured 1 prisoner.
It was small satisfaction to the 9th Royal Scots to learn that the attacks which had cost them so high a price in life without any apparent result had not been in vain.
By dawn on the 2nd August 1918 the Germans were on full retreat."
Reports indicate that Herman was a signaller, and had been missing since August 1st, 1918.
He had served in Ireland prior to going abroad to France, and had been slightly wounded. and is buried close to where he fell at Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire Aisne, France. We visited his grave in April 2015, and laid his tribute (below).
Herman's grave and tribute, and his medal index card (click for larger images)