James George Christmas Harding was baptised 1 March 1893, at Prendergast, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, the son of Richard Charles Harding, licenced victualler of the Mill Inn, and his wife Alice. His father’s death was registered in September quarter 1895. Alice his mother remarried in December 1895. Her new husband was John Beet, a widower whose wife had died 6 months earlier.  John Beet was a regular soldier. He joined the Army, aged 16, in December 1868 and, after 27 years’ service, left the Army in February 1896.
At the time of the 1901 census, the family (John and Alice, Alice’s five children by her first marriage, including James Harding aged 9, and John Robert Beet aged 1) lived in Haverfordwest. A decade later, the family was at 30 Pleasant View, Tirphil. But James G C Harding was a private in the South Wales Borderers in Brecon. 

  Four members of the Beet family served in the First World War, John Beet, his step-sons James Harding and Thomas Harding, and son John Robert Beet.

  At the outbreak of war, John Beet rejoined as an ex-NCO to train the men of Kitchener’s army. On 18 September 1914, at the age of 59 years and 11 months, he enlisted at Hereford and was posted to 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment as Private 9255; he was promoted to his former rank of Sergeant Major the following day. At the time of enlistment, his wife Alice with daughters Alice and Sybil were living at Poole Cottage, Thruxton, Hereford.  John Beet finally retired from the army on 6 March 1915.  In August 1915 John Beet was granted the licence of the Somerset Inn in Abergavenny, and he and Alice were still at the pub in 1917.  On 19 March 1924 he was granted an annuity of £10 as a reward for his long service.  John Beet died, aged 84, and was registered in Abergavenny in December Quarter 1935.

  Private M2/073686 Thomas Herbert Harding served with the Army Service Corps. He arrived in France 9 May 1915. He was discharged to Class Z Reserves 20 June 1919.

  John Robert Beet, who was born in 1899, served with the 2nd Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.  Newspaper articles report that he was badly wounded in February 1915; having both his legs smashed by a mortar shell when only 15 years and 9 months old. Surviving service records show that on 20 Oct 1913 he enlisted in Special Reserve King’s Shropshire Light Infantry giving his age as 17 years 9 months. Both Constable William John of Tirphil Police Station and Theophilus Roberts of Tirphil School gave him good references and stated they had known him for at least 5 years and had last met him 3 weeks previously – despite the fact that the forms they filled in clearly stated that his age was 17 years 9 months! John Beet was posted to the 3/K.S.L.I. Depot/training unit in Shrewsbury. He was mobilised at the outbreak of the war. On 9 February 1915 he transferred to 2^nd Battalion, and the next day he arrived in France. On 22 February 1915 he was appointed lance corporal but on the same day he was wounded, his wound being recorded as “fracture legs”. He was repatriated on 7 March and did not return to France. He was discharged from the army as medically unfit 11 May 1917 after having had many operations on his legs. The army remained unaware of his true age. His discharge sheet gave his intended address as Mount Street, Abergavenny. John Robert Beet married Violet Mary Richards at St Mary’s Abergavenny on 6 August 1924. He appears to have died in 1887 at Brecon when aged 87.

James George Harding (familiarly known as Jimmy) enlisted at Cardiff.  Newspapers report that he was invalided home with a nervous breakdown in December 1914.  He returned to France in May 1917. Private Jimmy Harding was a telegraphist and signaller and part of a working party behind the lines when he was hit by a German shell, which also killed two of his comrades.  He died 7 July 1917, aged 24, and is buried in Canadian Farm Cemetery, Belgium. He is also remembered on the War Memorial in St Mary’s Parish Church, Abergavenny.

  It was some years before war memorials were erected and that an occasional mistake was made might be expected.
(For more details on the Beet/Harding family, see Gelligaer Volume 23 pages 98-102.)