2nd Lieutenant, Eric Victor BELL
Aged 19
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Born in Pulborough on 10th June 1896 [Thakenham 2b:327] to John and Lilian Gertrude BELL (née PAWLE). 1901 census... Eric [4] was at Bennetts Farm, Kirtling, Cambridgeshire with father, John[33], a farmer born, Litlington and mother, Lilian [29 ], born Wimbledon 1911 census... He was at Harrow School and his parents were at Middleton Cottage, Exeter Road, Newmarket with his brother Cuthbert John [6] and sisters Amy Joy [4] and Audrey Lilian [3] all the children were Newmarket born. His father later trained at Oaks Lodge, Fordham Road, Newmarket. According to De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, Victor was employed by the Eastern Telegraph Company at the age of 16. He enlisted at the start of the war and was commissioned on 15th October 1914. |
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From the Harrovians Roll of Honour:
Eldest son of John Bell, A.S.C., of Middleton Cottage, Newmarket,and of Lilian Gertrude Bell.
2nd Lieutenant Bell joined the 11th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, when he was only seventeen, and was sent to the Dardanelles in June, 1915. On August
14th he was acting as regimental signal officer and was making his way from his own Regiment to the 8th Northumberland Fusiliers ; while so doing he had to
pass a dangerous place, exposed to the fire of hostile snipers, one of whom succeeded in hitting him. He was at once attended to by a Medical Officer who was
on the spot, but he died on the way to the Field Ambulance. An extract from a letter received by his father says: — "... He did excellent work all through the fighting from August 7th until he met his death. His name was, I believe, one of those sent forward for ' mention in Despatches.' Whether it will eventually appear in the lists it is difficult to say, but I thought you would like to know that his Commanding Officers appreciated his work, and thought very highly of him. Lives like his are very hard to replace." This was during the landings at Sulva Bay. This was reported in the 11th Battalion history: "On the 13th we relieved the SHERWOOD FORESTERS in fire trenches 92A, having the Indian Brigade on our right flank, and the 32nd Brigade on our left. During the night and the following day we were at work -improving the trenches. The weather was very hot, water scarce and bad, and the men suffered much from exhaustion. Lieutenant E. V. BELL was mortally wounded". A few weeks before going into action in the Dardanelles he was commissioned in the Royal Flying Corps, but his Commanding Officer persuaded him to remain in the Army. |
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