Died: of Dysentery
Family / Relatives: 25 Ivedon Road, Welling
Other Information: Son of Henry Palmer Beaven and Mary Ann Beaven. Husband of Frances Mabel Beaven, of Welling.
A railway worker (breaksman/shunter)
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH” TOM BELOVED HUSBAND OF DOLLY AND FATHER OF PAM” is thepoignant inscriptionon Tom Beaven’s headstone – Tom was one of our oldest soldiers lost in WW2 – here is his story…
THOMAS EDWARD BEAVEN was born on the 23 October 1898 in SE London to Henry Palmer Beavan and Mary Ann Beaven.
They lived at 22, Elsted Street in Walworth, London. Henry Palmer was a wood sawyer. Thomas had 5 brothers and sisters.
On 11 March 1915 Thomas was confirmed at St Johns Church in Larcomb St., Walworth by the Bishop of Southwark.
On the 14 June 1915 Thomas volunteered for the Army and joined the Kings Royal Rifles (Private) At this time he was described as having blond hair and blue eyes with a fresh complexion. He was 5’ 41/4” tall and weighed 136 lbs (61.7kg).
In 1914 the requirements to be able to volunteer for the Army were that the recruit had to be between 18-38 years of age and to be at least 5’ 3” tall (1.6 metres).
During his initial training he spent 7 days in hospital with Conjunctivitis. However, on 8 February 1916 he was discharged from the army under Kings Regulations Para 392 VI for having made a misstatement about age on enlistment – he was too young to serve being only 17 years of age.
After January 1916 voluntary enlistment was stopped and conscription began, and recruits were no longer able to choose their regiment. Initially requirements were to be aged between 19-41 and living in Great Britain and to be unmarried or a widower on 2 November 1915.
This was extended to a lower age of 18 and to married men on 25 May 1916.
Thomas then appears to have been conscripted and rejoined the army on 18 September 1916 and was drafted into the South Staffordshire Regiment (Private 42241). He served until 11 April 1919 when he was discharged under Kings Regulations Para 393 xvi – No longer physically fit for war service.
Records indicate that he served overseas, and he was wounded. He was awarded the SILVER WOUND BADGE and the Victory and Peace medals.
After the war Thomas married Francis Mabel Jarvis, known as Dolly, on 20 April 1924 at All Saints Church in Newington. At the time Thomas was employed as a Porter.
In February 1926 they had a daughter, Pamela Patricia Beaven.
In 1936 records show that Thomas rejoined the army but this time in the Royal Engineers. His initial engagement was for 4 years but the coming of World War 2 in 1939 would have resulted in his service being increased whilst hostilities continued.
In 1939 the family lived at 25, Ivedon Road in Welling. The household included Thomas’ father Henry. This address continued to serve as the family home for his daughter beyond 1963 after she married in 1949.
Records indicate that Thomas was part of the British Expeditionay Force and he would have served during the “phoney war” in 1939/40 in Europe, he was initially deployed on 13 September 1939. We cannot ascertain when or how he returned to the UK, but he could have been at Dunkirk.
By 1943 Thomas was serving in North Africa with 156 Transportation (Stores) Company and he had been promoted to Corporal. His trade in the Royal Engineers was as a Brakesman and Shunter – a railway worker. In March and June 1943 Thomas spent two periods in Field Hospitals with dysentery. He was finally discharged from hospital on 1 July 1943.
Unfortunately, he died on 23 October 1943 from complications resulting from his dysentery infections.
Thomas is buried in EL ALIA Cemetery in Algeria. In Plot 12. Row C 9. His headstone bears the personal inscription “FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH” TOM BELOVED HUSBAND OF DOLLY AND FATHER OF PAM”.
El Alia Cemetery: Allied troops made a series of landings on the Algerian coast in November 1942. From there, they swept east into Tunisia, where the North African campaign came to an end in May 1943 with the surrender of the Axis forces. The cemetery as originally an Allied War cemetery but was taken over as a civilian cemetery by the municipal authorities when most of the non-commonwealth graves were moved to other burial places. El Alia Cemetery now contains 368 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. Eight war graves of other nationalities remain in the Commonwealth plot and there are also 15 non-war graves, mostly of merchant seamen whose deaths were not due to war service.
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Pictured along with some of Tom’s military records are a map and another photo of the El Alia Cemetery. Also a memorial plaque to the memory of the railwaymen who served in the 156 Transportation (Stores) Company;
TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS/ NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS & MEN OF/ NO.1 (SOUTHERN) TRANSPORTATION STORES GROUP &/ THE 156TH (SOUTHERN) TRANSPORTATION STORES COMPANY/ ROYAL ENGINEERS SUPPLEMENTARY RESERVE WHO GAVE THIER LIVES IN THE WAR/ 1939 1945/ SOUTHERN RAILWAY
https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/35171
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If anyone is able to add any extra information, provide more family details, or suggest any corrections, please let us know – also, if anyone has any more photos of this individual listed on our memorials, please get in touch. Thank you
Commemorated
- St. Michael’s East Wickham Church Memorial Tablet
- El Alia Cemetery, Algeria
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Thomas Edward Beaven, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.