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5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
The 5th Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment was raised as a 'Rifle Volunteer Battalion' in 1860, becoming the 5th Territorial Battalion in Haldene's reforms in 1908. They were embodied in August 1914 and provided home defence in East Anglia and on the Norfolk coast until they were sent abroad in July 1915. They served in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine until disembodied in June 1919.
The 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment had their HQ in Gwyn Street, Bedford. A Company was based at the HQ in Bedford, B and C Coys in Old Bedford Rd, Luton (now a leisure centre), D Coy was based at the Drill Hall, Biggleswade with drill stations at Arlesey, Sandy and St. Neots. E Coy from Ampthill with a drill station at Olney. F Coy was based in Luton, with drill stations in Church St, Dunstable and at the Town Hall, Leighton Buzzard. G Coy had Drill Halls at Fletton and Yaxley, H Coy at Huntingdon, St Ives and Ramsey. The Cadet Corps was based at Dunstable Grammar School. At the outbreak of War in 1914 they were part of the East Midland Infantry Brigade, East Anglian Division.
10th Aug 1915 Gallipoli Landing
8th Jan 1916 Route March
10th Jan 1916 Route March
14th Jan 1916 Despatch on Sulva Bay
14th Jan 1916 Route March
25th Jan 1916 Poor Weather
28th Jan 1916 Route March
30th Jan 1916 Church Parade
7th Feb 1916 Route March
10th Feb 1916 Route March
11th Feb 1916 Field Day
19th Feb 1916 Home from Gallipoli
13th Mar 1916 As Hot as Summer
1st Jan 1917 Concentration
2nd Jan 1917 Wet Weather
3rd Jan 1917 Fatigues
4th Jan 1917 On the Move
5th Jan 1917 On the Move
6th Jan 1917 Arrivals
7th Jan 1917 Church Parade
8th Jan 1917 Fatigues
9th Jan 1917 On the March
10th Jan 1917 Inspection
11th Jan 1917 Training
12th Jan 1917 Training
13th Jan 1917 Lectures
14th Jan 1917 Church Parade
15th Jan 1917 Training
16th Jan 1917 Practice Attack
17th Jan 1917 Route March
18th Jan 1917 Practice Attack
19th Jan 1917 Training
10th June 1917 Brigade Order No.9
12th June 1917 Location Marine View. 
21st August 1918 Attack Made
10th September 1918 Patrols
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Cpl. Sidney John Arthur Beddall 5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment Sidney Beddall was reported missing on 27th of April 1917.
His mother wrote in June 1917 to the Army to confirm she had received a postcard from him confirming he was a prisoner of war at Limberg.
It was subsequently confirmed and reported on 8th of July 1917.
He also appears to have been imprisoned at Friedrichsfeld.
He chose to be demobilised following his Released Prisoner of War two months furlough.
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Cpl. Herbert Edward Bicheno Hawkins 1st/5th Btn Bedfordshire Regiment (d.3rd Nov 1917) Herbert Hawkins was the younger brother of Henrietta Elizabeth Bicheno Hawkins, my grandmother, who often talked to me about him when I was a young child. His nickname for her was Net and he looked up to her as a mother figure.
Herbert was born in Finsbury Barracks, City Road, London in the spring of 1896, the son of Sergeant Major Edward Charles Hawkins of the 6th Battalion Royal Fusiliers and Henrietta Sarah Hawkins (nee Bicheno).
Herbert joined the Bedfordshire Regiment in 1914.
He served as corporal but at the time of his death he was acting sergeant. On 2nd of November 1917 the battalion took part in the dawn attack on the village of Sheik Hasan on the seaward side of the town of Gaza in Palestine. The attack was successful taking most of its objectives and capturing 182 prisoners. For the rest of the 2nd and 3rd November the battalion was under heavy shellfire and it is likely that it was during this period that Herbert was killed.
He is buried in the Gaza cemetery, Israel. I had the good fortune to visit Israel and Jordan in 2013 with a group from my local church. Needless to say we were not taken to Gaza which is sadly still a war torn area.
Herbert is also remembered on the war memorials at John Dickinson's Paper Mill where he worked and at St Mary's Church Apsley where the family worshipped and my parents were married and I myself was baptised.
I am pleased to know these details of the life of my great uncle Herbert and remember my grandma's stories with pride.
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Sgt. William Stapleton 1st/5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.16th August 1915) William Stapleton was born, lived and enlisted in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. He served with 1/5th Bedfordshire Regimen. He was killed in action on 16th of August 1915 in Gallipoli and is commemorated at Hill 10 Cemetery, Turkey. He is remembered on both The War Memorial and The Alamada, St. Andrews Church, Ampthill. Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
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L/Sjt. Jack Alexandra William Robinson 1st/5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.17th August 1915) Lance Serjeant Jack Alexandra William Robinson, son of Mrs. Hannah Robinson Hymus, 18 Bryn Road, Clydach, Swansea: born, lived and enlisted in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. Served with the 1st/5th Bedfordshire Regiment (service no.3035). He was killed in action on 17th August 1915 age 23 years at Gallipoli and is commemorated on Helles Memorial, Turkey. He is remembered on both The War Memorial and The Alamada, St. Andrews Church, Ampthill. Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
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Pte. John Ward 5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment Some years ago, when my grandfather died and we cleared his house, we found a page from an old newspaper. It was a report on the actions of some of the members of my family during the First World War.
My grandfather was the Pte. John Ward mentioned in the last section.
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2nd Lt. Rowley Chaplin "Chips" Snowden 5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment We have in the family a very rare and precious memento, my great grandfather Rowley Chaplin Snowden's hip flask engraved with his name and Thiepval. The flask is also engraved with the date 27th August 1916 and has a bullet hole passing clean through one side. Crucially, the bullet left no exit hole.
I've been trying to find out more about Rowley's time in service as we approach the centenary of this date as we will be going to Thiepval as a family to pay our respects. Any help you are able to offer would be greatly appreciated.
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Pte. Percy Thurlow 1/5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.20th Jul 1917) Percy Thurlow is buried in the Gaza War Cemetery in Gaza.
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Pte. Percy Thurlow 1st/5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.20th July 1917.) Percy Thurlow died on the 20th July 1917 and is buried in the Gaza War Cemetery in Gaza.
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Pte. Samuel Needham VC. 1/5th Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.4th Nov 1918)  Samuel Needham served with the 1/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and died on the 4th November 1918, Age: 33. He is buried in the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
He was the son of Septimus and Mary Needham, of Grimsby.
An extract from The London Gazette, No. 30982, dated 29th Oct., 1918, records the following:-
For most conspicuous bravery and initiative when with a strong patrol which was heavily attacked by the enemy and forced back in confusion. At this critical moment Pte. Needham ran back and fired rapidly at a body of the enemy at point-blank range. His action checked the enemy and enabled the patrol commander to reorganise his men. The patrol had many casualties, but successfully got back all their wounded, and it was due to the action of individuals, of which this is the most outstanding, that the entire patrol was not cut off. Pte. Needham's example was of the greatest value at a critical moment, and the bold and determined stand made by him did more than anything to inspire confidence, and undoubtedly saved a critical situation.
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