James Ranald Beckett
| Rank | Second Lieutenant | |
| Medals | 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal | |
| Regiment | Highland Light Infantry, 17th Battalion ‘A’ Company | |
| Military Service | Beckett enlisted in the 17th HLI as a private (15838) and was given a commission in December 1914. He went to France with the Battalion in November 1915 but nothing further is known about his service | |
| Born | 6th July 1884, Ardrossan | |
| Death | 4th July 1916 | |
| Circumstances of Death | On 1st July, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ companies advanced towards the enemy front line at 7.30am. Beckett was wounded before he reached the enemy front line and died as a result of his wounds on 4th July. | |
| Age | 31 | |
| Burial | Puchevillers British Cemetery, I. A. 30 | |
| CWGC Information | Son of Hugh and Margaret Russell Beckett. Born at Ardrossan, Ayrshire. | |
| Parents | Hugh Beckett (1824-1905) & Margaret R Anderson (c1844-1888), married 1862 New Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire | |
| Father's Occupation | Calico printer | |
| Siblings | Elizabeth C (1863-1958), Janet D (1864-), Hugh (1865-1936), Margaret A (1866-), William A (1868-1935), Robert H (c1878-), Jane H (c1880-) | |
| Spouse | unmarried | |
| Education | Kelvinside Academy | |
| Occupation | Stockbroker, partner in Messrs Beckett Bros, West Nile Street, Glasgow. | |
| 1891 Census | South Crescent, Ardrossan | |
| 1901 Census | 7 Windsor Terrace, Partick | |
| 1911 Census | 7 Windsor Terrace, Partick | |
| Home Address | 1916 – 7 Windsor Terrace, Partick | |
| Glasgow Necropolis | Compartment Epsilon Lair 296 | |
| Other Memorials | Scottish National War Memorial (listed as Lieut James Ronald Beckett) | |
| Other Information | Beckett left personal estate in the United Kingdom to the value of £44,128. | |
| Acknowledgements and Sources | Much of the information on which this profile is based is drawn from various internet sources which are listed below. The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis also wish to make full acknowledgement and thanks for the permitted use of any information or images generously supplied specifically for exhibition, publication or display in connection with The Roll of Honour and accompanying profiles to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), Findmypast (www.findmypast.co.uk) Commonwealth War Graves Commission – www.cwgc.org Family Search – www.familysearch.org The Long, Long Trail – http://www.1914-1918.net/ Scotlands People – www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk The Scottish War Memorials Project – www.warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com The Seventeenth Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Battalion), Record of War Service, 1914-1918. 1920. War Diary of 17th Battalion Highland Light Infantry, Nov 1915-Jan 1918 (TNA WO/95/2403/3) | |
Gallery
James Randall Beckett Memorial - Epsilon
Credits
Compiled by Morag Fyfe, Historical and Genealogical Researcher for The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis.
