Current Information:

Age-212

2, Park Avenue, East Sheen

Bailleul Communal Cemetery, France

The 5th London battalion arrived in France at the beginning of November, 1914, where they joined 11 Brigade of 4th Division. They moved into the trenches for the first time on 20th November at Romarin, a small hamlet to the west of Ploegsteert and on 8th December they moved forward from Ploegsteert to the front line, each company attached to the regular battalions of the brigade. Richard Bevan died from wounds on 11th December but the battalion diary gives no information about his death. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.