The story of Harry Beasley
LAST week Echo reader Barbara Jordan wrote into say she had taken a photo of the war grave she had spotted whilst visiting the Commonwealth cenetery in Krakow, of Loughborough soldier, Lance Corporal Henry James Beasley.
Barbara said that should a relative of the Shelthorpe man wish to have a copy of the picture she was more than willing to send it to them.
In the meantime, well-known loughborough researcher Marigold Cleeve, of the Carillon War Memorial Museum, Loughborough has been in touch.
Marigold has kindly supplied the following details of Harry’s life and war service.
Loughborough. Lance Corporal Henry James Beasley
Henry James Beasley, known as ‘Harry’, was born in 1918 in Loughborough.
He was the eldest child of Frederick F. Beasley and Teresa Winifred C. Beasley (née Simpkin and known as ‘Winifred’) who were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loughborough in the summer of 1916.
Harry’s father was an engineer’s blacksmith and Harry had five brothers William Thomas, Ronald, John Eric, Raymond and Kenneth and two sisters Margaret and Winifred.
Prior to the Second World War Harry worked for Messrs. William Cotton’s Ltd of Loughborough and served with the Leicestershire Territorials.
Lance Corporal 4857068 Harry Beasley was with the 1/5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment in Norway in 1940, having been sent there as part of the Expeditionary Force in what was to be the disastrous Norwegian Campaign.
Conditions were very hard. The supply ship was sunk and the battalion had no winter clothing and very little ammunition. Their mortars only had smoke shells whilst rounds for their Lee Enfields, Sten and Bren guns were rationed.
Harry was fighting a rearguard action when, together with 19 other men of the 1/5th Leicesters, he was taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to Lamsdorf Stalag VIIIB.
Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf was a large, German prisoner of war camp, later renumbered Stalag 344. It was located near the small town of Lamsdorf (now called Lambinowice, in Poland) in what was then known as Upper Silesia.
The POWs were employed in working parties, or Arbeits Kommandos, in various locations in coal mines, iron mines, flax factories, and on agricultural and forestry work. Harry had been at Stalag VIIIB for two years when he had an accident while with a working party.
Harry’s parents, who in 1942 lived at 15 Manor Drive, Shelthorpe, received a letter from Captain Reverend John Berry, a chaplain at Stalag VIIIB as follows: “I am the Catholic priest working in this camp.
“I am very sorry to have to send you some sad news of your son, Harry.
“He was out on a working party and had an accident. He was taken to a hospital run by some nuns, who took every care possible, but in spite of all their efforts, he died after about an hour, March 23rd.
“You will be comforted to hear that the Nuns got a priest in time and he received Absolution, Extreme Unction and the Pope’s Blessing for the Dying.
“I myself conducted the burial at a military funeral and full Requiem Mass for your boy. The Reverend Mother of the Convent told me all the details.
“I shall say another Requiem Mass for Harry and also a Mass for you and your family that God may comfort you in your sadness.
“If possible I shall try to visit you when I get home to England and I shall remember you and yours in my Mass each day and ask God to give you strength to bear your grief.
“I shall ask the men too for their prayers at Mass. May God ever love and comfort you and yours.”
Harry is remembered on the WW2 Memorial in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loughborough, on the Carillon War Memorial, Queen’s Park, and on the Loughborough Roll of Honour.
Marigold Cleeve Researcher, Carillon War Memorial Museum, Loughborough