Private
#802735
“Walter Treleaven Beer was another 135th Btn man. He farmed and was a telegraph operator in Strathroy. When the 135th was broken up in England, he was drafted to the 15th
Battalion. He seems to have suffered repeated bouts of diphtheria. On the 10th of October 1918, while on patrol duty, he was instantly killed along with the officer in charge, by a machine gun bullet. His medals, plaque and certificate were sent to his father and mother Jacob and Lulu Beer.”
[Source: Strathroy Museum]
The Strathroy Museum website has several official documents of Private Beer’s service.
In early 1918 the German high command realized that they needed to “break the back” of Allied resistance on the Western front, as they knew that fresh support troops were arriving from the United States. These American troops were being placed, as separate battalions, within the lines with French, British (Canadian) troops. Therefore, the Germans initiated a series of offensives: ‘Michael’ over the old Somme battlefields, ‘Mars’ against Arras, ‘Georgette’ in Flanders, the ‘Blucher-Yorckh Offensive on the Aisle, to the Marne, until being stopped at Chateau Thiery by mid June. In spite of some forward movement, they had finally been stopped. As of July 17 they realized their breakthrough was unsuccessful. The German armies were exhausted from their last, unsuccessful, attempts to break through the Allied Western Front.
The Allies began a counter-offensive to push the German armies back toward the east: July 18 to clear the Marne salient; August 1 to occupy Soissons; August 8 to retake Amiens; August 10 Montdidier; August 18 against Flanders; August 20 the capture of Aisne Heights; August 21 British offensive against Somme; August 28 the Canadians smash through the Hindenburg Line to reach Wotan position; September 2 Australians occupy Perone and Canadians break through Wotan position; September 5 the German headquarters is moved east to Spa; September 6 Germans completely withdraw from Lys salient; September 28 launch Fourth Battle of Ypres; September 29 the German Chief of Staff, Erich Ludendorff calls for immediate armistice.
While the politicians were discussing the terms of armistice (terms of surrender and end of the war) the Allies launched another series of offensives that forced the Germans into a general retreat toward their homeland: October 8, in the Somme sector the Second Battle of Cambrai begins; October 10 the Germans abandon Argonne; October 14 British offensive around Ypres forces Germans to abandon the Belgian coast; October 17 the British occupy Lille; October 19 the Belgians reoccupy Zeebruge and Bruges; November 1 an offensive in Aisle-Meuse sector; November 4 start of major Allied offensive in Western Front; November 9 British capture Tourney, Belgian forces occupy Ghent; November 11, 04.30 (am) Canadians clear final Germans out of Mons, France and it is returned to British control. The armistice was signed in a rail car at 5.10 (am) and comes in to effect as of 11.00 am.
Soldiers were still being killed right up to the last minute. Private Beer was killed on October 10th, one month before the end of the war.
VIS-EN-ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY, Haucourt, France
