BEEDELL, William
(Service number 70924)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 20 May 1879 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 11 October 1917 | Age | 38 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Opihi, Pleasant Point | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs G. A. BLACKMORE (sister), Opihi, Pleasant Point | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 37th Reinforcements, A Company | ||
| Date | 9 May 1918 | ||
| Transport | Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Liverpool, Merseyside, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 26 July 1965 | Age | 86 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Pleasant Point Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
William Beedell was born on 20 May 1879 at Timaru, the only son of William and Mary (née Cheldon) Beedell. Like his sisters he was baptised at St Alban’s, Pleasant Point. In June 1886 Mrs Beedell advertised for a governess to teach young children English and music. William and his sisters spent time at Pleasant Point School from January 1890 till May 1891, when Arabella (Bella) was noted as going to Opihi Scholl. Did the others also go there? His mother died on 8 October 1902, her funeral leaving the residence at Opihi for the Pleasant oint Cemetery. His father died on 28 June 1908 at Timaru and was buried at Pleasant. His eldest sister, Arabella Jane, married at St Albans Anglican Church, Pleasant Point, where Mr Beedell was a vestryman, on 19 December 1900. The family was then living at Opihi. His youngest sister, Mary Agnes, died at Talbot Hospital, Timaru, in December 1908 and was buried at Pleasant Point. And the middle sister married Francis George Blackmore in 1917. She was next-of-kin for William junior when he enlisted on 11 October 1917 at Timaru.
Private William Beedell embarked with the 37th Reinforcements for Liverpool, England, on 9 May 1918 by the “Maunganui”. W. Beedell, of Pleasant Point, was one of more than 800 men who returned to New Zealand by the “Port Hacking” in August 1919.
William Beedell died on 26 July 1965, aged 86 years, and was interred at Pleasant Point Cemetery.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [24 May 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [24 May 2021]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [24 May 2021]; Pleasant Point Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [24 May 2021]; Timaru Herald, 11 August 1919 (Papers Past) [06 September 2014]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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