Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Major Hubert Bertram Nathaniel Bewicke a retired Army Major, born 1851 in Portugal and his wife Lucy Blanche Bewicke (nee Cookson), born 1860 in Rawal Pindee, India. Calverley George was born 1897, and was baptised on the 28th April 1897 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, in March 1901 he was residing together with his mother, and her sister Marcella R. Cookson, born 1865 in Murrce, Ireland, at Oaklands, Woodbridge Road, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey, this being the family home of his great aunt, Marcella Frazer, born 1833 in Dublin, Ireland. In April 1911 Calverley was a Student and was residing in the family home at Hallaton House, Sydenham Villas, Gloucestershire, together with his father and sister Honoria, born 1899 in Charlton, Kent. NOTE: Although all references show Calverley to be serving with the 1st Battalion Welsh Regiment, he was in fact serving with the 2nd Battalion Welsh Regiment at the time of his death. The 1st Battalion was at the time of Calverley’s death deployed in Macedonia.
The War Diary records: 26 July-16 - At 3.00pm another attack is organised at MUNSTER ALLEY. It is carried out by “B” Company under Captain C. P. CLAYTON. Good progress is made until 5.00pm when the objective is reached. By this time all the Battalion bombers have been called up and all are in a very exhausted condition. The enemy then counter-attacks in large numbers and eventually we are pushed back to our original position. Another attack is then organised and with the assistance of 17th AUSTRALIAN Battalion 150 yards of MUNSTER ALLEY is re-won and consolidated. About 9.00pm the relief of the Battalion is commenced by 10th NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS. Casualties for 25th-26th, Lieutenant C.G. BEWICKE and 2nd Lieutenant E. C. McGROARTY killed. 131 other ranks killed wounded and missing.
The following passages are taken from the edited diaries of Lieutenant C. P. Clayton M.C., M.A., late Welch Regiment: But a few minutes later comes the nastiest experience, I think, which can come to a soldier. All of a sudden, as we are busy with our bomb supply, there is a strange wild shout and men begin to rush back upon us out of the battle trench. I am almost bowled off my feet with the rush. At the same time more men come running over the open from the front and jumping down upon us. They all come running as if the devil is at their heels. Their faces show abject terror and some in their haste fall headlong into the trench and fight madly to regain their feet. They have cracked. The feeling I have on seeing the men in this state is something like the nasty feeling one gets on first going down quickly in a lift. Seizing a rifle and bayonet I clamber out of the tangle of men – for it is nothing less – up to the parapet of the trench. I feel that whatever happens to the men I cannot go back. I try to make my voice heard above the din, but they are past hearing anything for some minutes. I get one or two to come up to me and we take up firing positions in the open by the edge of the trench. I begin to think that the cause must have been pure accident, and that it is not due to any enemy rush. His machine guns are not firing although we have exposed ourselves. Then higher up the trench I see one of them coming partly into sight as he advances round a corner. I open fire, and so do the men with me. The sound of our shots right above their heads seems to bring back the men to their senses. They begin to line the side of the trench but only, at first, to start a wild burst of wild firing at nothing. But this is better than unreasoning terror. They are recovering. Sliding down into the trench I try to get them to come and start bombing up the trench again but I can get none to stir. Young Bewicke is at a bend in the trench a few yards away and most of the men are between him and me. It is a great relief to me to hear his Lewis gun open out. He is letting off sharp bursts. His gun has done more to steady the men than anything else. They are now almost normal but nothing I can do will make them take up the bomb fight again yet. As a matter of fact they have been throwing for more than two hours without a break and their arms are almost too stiff to throw at all, so I cannot hope to kick off again till they have had a rest. Walker is unhurt but his face is blue grey with the dust of bomb explosions. Dart is not quite so thickly covered but he is almost exhausted. However this position is safe enough now that the men have recovered from the panic, and I slip to the telephone to see if I can get a few fresh bombers to start again. It is hard to tell Colonel Pritchard that we have lost all we won, for we had really got our objective. He lays no blame and promises more men. More bombs have just arrived from the Brigade dump. I hurry back along the trench and as I approach I hear Bewicke’s gun roaring away furiously. To my surprise I find that the men are fully recovered and ready to start again. The fight with bombs begins right at our door this time. There is a sharp interchange and again the forward movement begins. But the formal bombing party is lost now. Welch and Anzacs are all mixed up and the rate at which the bombs are being used up is alarming. But this time, after gaining about thirty yards, we fill up the trench nearly to the top in such a way that if the enemy rush us again they will have to pass a point exposed to our fire. In this way, even if we are short of bombs we are safe to hold our gains. The bombing goes on right into the night with only a very slight pause now and then behind a new made block. I get a message that we are being relieved by a regiment of the second brigade. This is good news for, with fresh strength, they should have no trouble in finally securing the objective. But to relieve troops actively fighting is no easy matter – especially mixed as they are with Anzacs. The reliefs begin to arrive about nine o’clock, and leaving them to take over bit by bit, I have to travel a roundabout mile partly through No Man’s Land to find and relieve an advanced post of one platoon which no one knows where to find. Having got them back and started them for the reserve, I return to the bomb fight and find that there are still some of my men engaged. It is midnight before I have got out all that are left. There are many who are gone for good. Sergeant Phillips is one. He was wounded when I met him searching for bombs but he would not go back. Now I find he has been shot again through the body, and has died. He was and ex-postman reservist. We have been rather inclined to think, because he talked very much, he would very probably not do so stoutly when the test came, but we were wrong. He was at his best at the last. And there is young Bewicke. Without his dashing work with his Lewis gun I doubt whether the men would have recovered from their panic sufficiently to make good the lost ground as they have done. He died at his gun, after he had done his bit.
On Friday April 12th 1918 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. “LOCAL AND DISTRICT NEWS.” – HALLATON’S FALLEN HEROES. – MEMORIAL UNVEILED. – The residents of Hallaton turned out en masse on Wednesday week to witness an interesting and impressive ceremony consisting of the unveiling of a memorial to fallen heroes which had been erected in the old market square. It takes the form of a beautifully designed stone cross on a solid foundation, and adds to the picturesqueness of the village. The memorial was generously provided by Mrs. Calverlay Bewicke, lady of the Manor of Hallaton, to the memory of her late nephew, who was heir to the estate, and of other soldiers of the village who have fallen in the war. The inscription is as follows: “Erected by Effe Elizabeth, widow of Theodore Calverlay Bewicke, in memoriam, M.C.M. xiv. Vox luminous umbra.” The names at present inscriber (sic) thereon are Calverlay George Bewicke, Ralph Charles Morrison, Ralph Sleath Gray, Frederick Arthur Palmer, Eme Coleman Driver,Tom Neale, Arthur Eaton, John Henry Tyler, Lieut. F. C. Andrews, Herbert G. Neale, Walter Hurbert Hawke, Albert Tyler, Eli Pateman, Alfred Tebbutt Simpkin, Ernest N. Johnson, G. W. Morris, M. Percy Killingrey, Charles Marlow, William Dwyer, George Clarke, and Frederick Walter Russell. A good muster of officers, non commissioned officers, and men of the 3rd Battalion Leicestershire Volunteer Regt. took part, including contingents from the Melton Mowbray and Market Harborough companies. There were about 100 on parade, the officers comprising Lieut. Colonel Oliver, Captain and Adjutant A. P. Marsh, Captain Morrison, Lieut. Allen, Lieut. R. Styles, Lieut. White, and Lieut. S. Dalgliesh. The ceremony was performed by the Bishop of Leicester, the other clergy present being the Rev’s. J. T. Preece, Davenport, Harper, Morris, Barker, and Nevison. The donor of the memorial was accompanied by Mrs. Bewicke (mother of the deceased heir), Miss Honoria Bewicke (his sister), Cadet B. E. Bewicke (the present heir), and Mrs. du Pasquier (aunt). Proceedings commenced with a service in the church, the Rector officiating, and the Rev. Harper read the lessons. The Volunteers then formed a guard of honour as the procession wound its way up the main street to the old Market square, where the Bishop performed the unveiling ceremony, afterwards delivering an impressive address, then the Volunteers presented arms and Bugler Mackley, of Melton Mowbray sounded “The Last Post.” The company subsequently returned to church, where the service was concluded, and late Capt. Morrison kindly entertained the Volunteers to tea in the schoolroom.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Calverley’s family had been Lords of the Manor of Hallaton since 1722. His father Bertram had been a Regular Army officer and Calverley followed his father’s footsteps, entering the Royal Military College (now known as the Academy), Sandhurst in October 1914, having previously been at school in Uppingham. He was a conscientious young man and has left a large note book filled with information and beautifully executed drawings. Because of the war, the commissioning course was limited to six months and on 16th March 1915 he was gazetted Second Lieutenant in the Welsh Regiment, his father’s old unit. He was pitch forked straight into the fighting near Poperinghe and later Kemmel near Ypres. On 3rd September that year he was wounded in the head and steel helmets had not yet been issued so it was serious. He was sent back to England and given leave to recuperate. He returned to
France in October this time with the 2nd Battalion in the waterlogged trenches near Lens an area dominated by huge slag heaps which the Germans utilised to overlook the British positions. That winter was spent in trenches patrolling with occasional breaks in billets but with the inevitable working parties at night moving forward stores and repairing the ever crumbling trenches. In March 1916 he was wounded again but “remained at duty”. At the end of that month came a short spell of leave but on his return to the front line was wounded yet again, this time in the knee. May was “quiet” but July brought the terrible battle of the Somme outlined on the story board. He was a brave young man and died at his machine gun in the ferocious fighting near Pozières. In other circumstances he could easily have gained a Military Cross. His body was never recovered and his is one of the 72,235 identified casualties on the memorial at Thiepval.

Information kindly provided by Dennis Kenyon.