Enos Ephraim Beer
Rank: Lance Corporal
Service Number: 3379
Date of Birth: 1889
Regiment: 2 Bn., Rifle Brigade
Date of Death: 9 May 1915
Age at death: 25
Cemetery / Memorial: Ploegsteert Memorial
Country: Belgium
Grave / Reference: Panel 10
Relatives: Son of John & Alice Beer (both deceased by 1908) and brother of Miss A E Beer (Ethel)
Address: 21 High Street, Hadleigh (on 21 Apr 1919)
Lance Corporal Beer was entitled to the above three medals; 1914 Star with clasp, British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. The whereabouts of Lance Corporal Beer's actual medals is currently unknown.
Enos Beer's CWGC Commemorative Certificat5
Enos was born in 1889, the son of a shoe maker who lived at 21 High Street, Hadleigh. On 11 November 1908 at the age of 19, he enlisted into the Suffolk Regiment at Bury St Edmunds.
The following year, he was transferred to the 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade. At the outbreak of war, the 2nd Bn were at Kuldana in India. They sailed from Bombay on 20 September, landing at Liverpool on 22 October 1914. Moved to Hursley Park and came under orders of 25th Brigade in 8th Division.
The 8th Division was formed in England during October 1914 by the bringing together of regular army units which had been stationed at various points around the British Empire. The Division moved to France in November 1914, a much-needed reinforcement to the BEF. It remained on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war, taking part in the following actions:
8 Div
The 8th Division was formed in England during October 1914 by the bringing together of regular army units which had been stationed at various points around the British Empire. The Division moved to France in November 1914, a much-needed reinforcement to the BEF. It remained on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war, taking part in the following actions:
Enos' first action would have been during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. This was the first planned British offensive of the war and it demonstrated that it was possible to break into the enemy positions. But it also showed that this kind of success was not easily turned into breaking through those positions. The main lessons of Neuve Chapelle were that the artillery bombardment was too light to suppress the enemy defences; there were too few good artillery observation points; the reserves were too few to follow up success quickly; command communications took too long and the means of communicating were too vulnerable. One important lesson was perhaps not fully understood: the sheer weight of bombardment was a telling factor. Similar efforts in 1915 and 1916 would fall far short of its destructive power.
About a mile ahead of the British lines at Neuve Chapelle was a long ridge - Aubers Ridge - barely 20 feet higher than the surrounding area but giving an observation advantage. The British failed to take this ridge during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle and so further battle was planned. The Battle of Auber's Ridge was to be a 'pincer attack' with attacks going in from the North and South. The 2nd Bn the Rifle Brigade were in the first wave and sustained heavy casualties with many killed, amongst them, Lance Corporal Enos Ephraim Beer.
Enos Ephraim Beer was awarded the 1914 Star and as his body was never identified, he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
By landing in France before 22 November 1914, Enos was entitled to the 1914 Star, sometimes known as the ‘Mons’ Star. This was proudly worn by the survivors of the BEF who also dubbed themselves the ‘Old Contemptibles’ a name that they were supposedly first called by the Kaiser who labelled the stubborn force that stood in his way as that “contemptible little Army”.
