High Beech Camp

High Beech Camp was situated in Loughton, Essex.

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.

Want to know more about High Beech Camp?

There are:0 items tagged High Beech Camp available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have trained at
High Beech Camp
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Powell Ernest John. Fus.
Wilkinson Alfred Henry. Pte. (d.26th Sep 1916)

All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.

Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.

Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please see Family History FAQ's

Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.

Can you help?
The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.
If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

18th Dec 2024
Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 265120 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.

Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.

1205798

Fus. Ernest John Powell 26th Btn. Royal Fusiliers

31st May 1915 Boys of Tent 7, High Beech Camp

Fusilier Powell was my father. In 1953, he gave a short talk about his career to his Rotary Club (West Wickham, Kent). In this talk he referred to his Service in WW1, as follows: "I volunteered for the Army in 1914, but Head Office said we could not be released until sufficient women had been trained to replace usâ€¦. In September 1915 I volunteered at Ammanford, Carmarthenshire (being the nearest recruiting centre to Llandeilo where I was a Junior Clerk in the London and Provincial Bank). I was assigned to the 26th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers) raised by Col. Pitt of the London and South Western Bank, and we were 80% Bank chaps. We went to France in May 1916, supposed to be tough infantry men, which I rather doubt. I transferred to the Tank Corps in France". The first photo shows Fusilier Powell as one of "The Boys of Tent No 7, High Beech, 1915". He is 2nd from right in back row, as you look at the photo.
The second photo is the All Ranks photo, 26th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers). Aldershot, 1915. Fusilier Powell is 2nd from the left in the fourth row of the photo. It was taken (presumably) before the Battalion embarked for France.
The third photo is of the 1936 Reunion of the Bankerâ€™s Battalion. My father attended these Reunions in London â€“ at least until the mid 1950â€™s (excluding years of World War 2). He was then Manager, Barclays Bank, West Wickham, Kent, a London suburb. These reunions were always preceded by a Church Service at the Royal Fusiliers Church in the City. The cost of the Reunions (always at the Connaught Rooms) were reportedly heavily subsidized, so my father said, by a Maj. Clutterbuck, a Board Director of Martinâ€™s (or was it District?) Bank. My father is the nearest person at the nearest side of the 2nd table from the right (looking over left shoulder and in a lighter colored jacket - probably as befits a suburban Manager, compared with all the "City types"!).
Graham Powell

Add to this record.

219671

Pte. Alfred Henry Wilkinson 12th Btn. Middlesex Regiment (d.26th Sep 1916)

Alfred Wilkinson was my uncle, born in 1896 he was a Bank Clerk. He joined the Army on 31st March 1916 at High Beech Camp, Loughton Essex.
He met his death on 26th September 1916 in the storming of Thiepval at the Somme. A letter from a comrade in action to Alfred's father reads as follows: I was with Alfred when he was hit. I'm afraid I cannot tell you much, but will give you what I saw of him. We were advancing in file with Alfred on my right hand. we got over about 300yds, when the boches being driven out of their trenches, we took cover behind a fallen tree log to fire. All rising up to rush the trench, Alfred was hit by a shrapnel in his right thigh and sank behind the tree again. As we had to rush the trench we couldn't stop to reach him. We last saw him reclining on his left side holding his hand over the wound which we did not think at all serious. Being where he was he was well protected from snipers and certainly he could never have been taken prisoner there, being left 100 yds behind. The only thing that must have happened was that, as the enemy shelled all the ground gained in hopes of stopping reinforcements, he was caught by one of their shells. In that case anything could have happened, for no one would be able to get him until the shelling had ceased; a shell would throw up enough earth to bury one from sight, which would account for his identification disc not being brought in. If he was able to proceed down to the dressing station,he would have to go over the enemy fire showing that anything may have happened to him. I am afraid that is all I know with regard to Alfred whom I have known for about six months and we all render you our deepest sympathy in your undoubtable loss. yours sincerely, J H Wilson.
David Allen

Add to this record.

Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.

Links

Suggest a link

The Wartime Memories Project - High Beech Camp during the Great War -

High Beech Camp

Want to know more about High Beech Camp?

Those known to have trained at High Beech Campduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- High Beech Camp during the Great War -

Those known to have trained at
High Beech Camp
during the Great War 1914-1918.