Roy Bealing and his best friend Pte. Alfred Moxham

Roy Bealing and his best friend Pte. Alfred Moxham , For many years, a lone veteran made his way to the old Somme battlefield Fwhere he would stand quietly on the lip of the Lochnagar Crater. That man was Roy Bealing M.M., of the 6th Wiltshires, and had fought here on 2nd July 1916. The events of that day remained with him for the rest of his life. His pilgrimages were a testament to the memory of his lost comrades., His best friend, Pte. Alfred Moxham, lost his life at Lochnagar. Roy, along with Alfred's brother, William, witnessed the tragic end. , Roy and William had advanced together and fallen headlong into the Crater. Scrambling up the other side, they could see a German machine-gun had found range of the lip. Backwards and forwards the gun swept, and up came young Alfred, who upon seeing the chasm before him, froze. His brother and Roy frantically shouted but before he could move out of danger, he was cut down. , Roy and William had the painful duty of burying him in the bottom of the Crater, where for all we know, he may still lie. Later that year a Canadian war correspondent noted in his diary that he had seen there a simple wooden cross with the inscription 'Moxham'. Shown here is a photograph of the cross which was later used in the Michelin Battlefield Guides. , The story would surely have been lost had it not been for a chance meeting in the late 1970s when Richard Dunning began talking with this solitary figure looking out across the Crater. He subsequently accompanied Roy on several pilgrimages back., Caption , Top: Battlefield grave of Pte. Afred Moxham, Lochnagar Crater 1917 CI.W.M. , Below: Roy Bealing remembers, Lochnagar 1st July 1980., Lochnagar Crater is privately owned by Richard Dunning MBE and is dedicated to Remembrance, Respect and Reconciliation. , www.lochnagarcrater.org, 'The Lochnagar Promise For Peace' , “In Remembrance of all those who have suffered in conflict, and those who are suffering still may we live our lives today with more Compassion and Kindness. Understanding and Forgiveness Reconciliation and Unity. Let us now, in their honour, wage Peace.”, The Trustees are grateful for the generous bequest which enabled the refurbishment of these Visitor Information Panels. , www.lochnagarcrater.org ,