SPELLER Augustus, Private, died 26/10/1914. Enlisted Hertford, service no. 9088 Bedfordshire Regiment 2nd Battalion. Remembered at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
Born in 1889 and joined the army prior to the outbreak of World War I. He was the son of Charles and Hetty Speller who had moved to Widdington when Augustus was two years old. His elder brother was Herbert Speller
The battalion diary quotes:
26 Oct 1914 The Battalion remained holding its trenches as shown in sketch [not attached]. Battalion H.Q. was established in farm near Chateau & moved into C Coys. big trench during the day. 10.30 A.M. Captain A.G.Hall [Arthur Gordon HALL] was shot by a sniper. Captain W.E.Wetherall[William Ernest May WETHERALL] took command of the company (D). Lieut.W.Bastard [William BASTARD] was also shot in the same way on this day.
During the morning instructions were received that Guards Brigade were to attack BECELAERE. They advanced under heavy shell fire but did not get beyond our line of trenches. The Battalion had orders to advance of the guards right flank after they had gone through our line. D Company did move out of its trenches to the woods behind B Company. But as the advance was held up, late in the afternoon it reoccupied its trenches. Lieut.W.Bastard [William BASTARD] buried by Capt.R.L.Thom [Richard L. THOM] on the N. edge of the wood S. of the road junction at the foot of the BECELAERE hill, in the centre of N edge on W. of road, close to the bend of the road. Captain A.G.Hall [Arthur Gordon HALL], probably near the above, to the N.Westwards. Orders were received that the 1st Scots Guards were to relieve the Battalion in the trenches. It was not till early in the morning of 27th that this relief was completed. Lieut.D.G.C.Thomson [Donald Godrid Campbell THOMSON] & 20 N.C.O. & men 1st reinforcements arrived.
Augustus Speller was among those killed by a German ambush in the opening shots of the 2nd Battalion’s war:
The 26th saw the doomed Guards attack against Becelaere, which the Bedfordshires were again intended to support. Only B Company got out of their trenches as the vaunted British Guards were held up less than 50 yards in front of the Bedfordshires, stopping them from moving completely. As a result, the entire brigade held fast and the Bedfordshires were finally relieved by the Guards for a short break back in Veldhoek at 6.30 a.m. on 27 October. 9.30 a.m. saw them march further back to Sanctuary Wood near Hooge where they spent the remainder of their time at rest. In the event it was a very short break as the divisional commander was trying to give each of his battalion’s time to draw breath and regroup, and by 7 p.m. that evening they were back in the line. The brigade had been moved into positions that ran from the 9km marker on the Menin road, south to the Zandvoorde Chateau. The Bedfordshires formed the left of the line with C Company on the left, B in the middle, A on the right and D in reserve.
Thanks to Glyn Warwick for providing details from the battalion war diaries. He is written a book about the fallen heroes of Stansted Mountfitchet, “They Sleep In Heroes Graves” ISBN 978-0-9558964-0-8
and Steve Fuller from Bedfordshire Regiment Website.