9965 Pte Ellis Beamer, 229th MG Bn, Machine Gun Corps (Inf).
Born in Burnley in 1895, Ellis lived at 14, Roebuck Street in the town at the time of the outbreak of war. He was employed on the railways (mainly located at Bank Top Station, Burnley). He enlisted into the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment in August 1914 (number 6386) and he was sent to France in March 1915. Ellis was wounded in the foot after only three days frontline service; he returned to the firing line following his recovery but soon fell ill and had to be evacuated to a military hospital in Glasgow. He was sent back out to France in February 1916 and was transferred to the machine gun section but contracted ‘trench fever' in early 1917 which, once again warranted his evacuation to the UK in February 1917. After seven weeks recuperation, he was again drafted for overseas service, this time to Egypt but he was wounded in action in November 1917. Ellis died from his wounds at Kantara on 18 November 1917, and he is now buried in the Kantara War Cemetery, Egypt.
18 November 1917
Research by David O'Mara, Croonaert Research Services.
