TAYLOR, William Edward

Sapper, 63rd Field Coy., Royal Engineers
Service No: 143626
Died: 13/10/1916
Age: 31

Remembered on Thiepval Memorial
Remembered on family memorial in Bangor Cemetery

William is listed on the Roll of Honour of
Ballygilbert Presbyterian Church

William Taylor was born on 14 June 1885 at Glencraig, Craigavad. He was the son of Samuel Taylor, an agricultural labourer who gave his occupation as Land Steward at that time, and his wife Margaret Taylor nee Childs, and the the youngest of their eight children.

On leaving school William became an agricultural labourer working with his father but by the time of the 1911 census he had become a carpenter.

William enlisted on the 6th December 1915 and transferred from the reserve battalion for active service on 12 February 1916. He was transferred to the BEF in July 1916 and joined the 63rd Field Company on 2 August 1916.

Sadly, his service did not last long and he was killed in Action on 13 October 1916.

William is also commemorated on the Ballygilbert Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour and in Ballyrobert Orange Hall where he was a member of LOL No. 1920.

BEATTIE, Robert

Pioneer, 22nd Company, Royal Engineers
Service No: 338725
Died: 08/09/1919
Age: 26

Interred in Bangor Cemetery

Robert Beattie was born in Maryport, Cumberland, in Sept 1893. He was the youngest son of John Beattie and his wife Ellen (nee Agnew).

John and Ellen where from Co. Down and moved to Cumberland shortly after their marriage in 1876. John was a labourer and was working in an ironworks in Maryport and the family lived there until the late 1890s when they moved to Bangor and were living in Castle Street in 1901 later moving to Bingham Street.

Robert started work as a greengrocer and when war broke out enlisted in the Royal Irish Rifles (SN:18179) but was transferred the the Royal Engineers with whom he went to France in October 1915.

Robert was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital on 25th August 1919 were he died just over two weeks later on 9th September* from a haemorrhage on the brain.

* Although the headstone and CWGC recorded the date as 8th September the official death entry records the 9th.

BELL, Charles

Served in Royal Engineers
Service No: 64178
Died: 4th July 1920

Interred in Bangor Cemetery


Charles Bell was born in London in 1863. A stonemason by trade he married Mary Aicken, a farmer's daughter from Bangor in 1893. According to his attestation papers the marriage took place at 42nd St. Presbyterian Church, New York – surely a story there.

The family lived in Belfast at various addresses – 1901: York Road; 1911: Broadway – and on his enlistment in 1915 were living at 345 Albertbridge Road.

Charles enlisted in the Royal Engineers (121st Field Co.) on 30th January 1915 and was sent to France in October 1915.

He did not serve long and was discharged as no longer fit for service in June 1916 – the family now living in Grays Hill in Bangor. Although the few remaning records do not enlighten as to the cause of illness, his death certificate records that he had suffered for nephritis for the previous four years indicating that this was the probable cause.

He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and died on 4th July 1920 at the family home Prospect Park, Bangor.