BEATS, Horace

Horace Beats was born in Dudley and enlisted in Stoke in the Sherwood Foresters. He went to the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front who were strongly involved in the Second Battle of Ypres at Hooge in 1915. They came into the front line again for 1916 Battle of the Somme and in September carried out a major attack on the Quadrilateral, a major enemy fortification near Ginchy. It was only taken after three attacks. Two more attacks in October helped to gain the Transloy Ridges, but at some point Private Horace Beats was seriously wounded and sent to a base hospital at Rouen. Here he died on the 19th November. He is buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension (O II B 3) and commemorated on the Dudley and St. James church, Dudley, Memorials.