Introduction: So glad this new facility is open to us, because failing to do so would mean the deceased may just become a statistic and not that of a young man who had the hope and expectation for his future. I’ve composed this commemoration firstly using extracts from George Blake’s book Mountain and Flood, which describes the Scottish 52nd Lowland Division, including the 5th Battalion Highland Light Infantry that formed part of the division, and broadly enlightens the reader information on Sidney Beech, ‘Ginger’ to his mates’ battalion were doing at the time of his death.

The second part is the personal account provided by my late father, Dennis Emms in support of our family tree research I was carrying out, who witnessed the death of Sidney Beech.

Dennis Emms entered the war in February1945 as an eighteen year old and was enlisted into the Scottish regiment the Highland Light Infantry 5th Battalion, having completed his training in Northern Ireland in January 1945, and quickly transferred into the front line in northern Europe, starting with operation Veritable and the taking of the Reichswald Forest where the Germans were entrenched.

1. The following are extracts from the book Mountain and Flood by George Blake first published in 1950; By afternoon 1/4/1945 the leading elements of 7th Armoured with 157 Brigade had reached Neuenkirchen, just short of the river Ems, a fighting advance of nearly 70 miles in six days.
2. The next objective was the town of Rheine which was placed in a centre of airfields. Across The Dortmund-Ems Canal 1/4/1945 157 Brigade returned to 52nd Lowland from the 7th Armoured Division. They were allotted the task to relieve troops in Rheine which was divided by the blown bridges across the river Ems, and clear the town completely. Secondly at all costs to guard the open left flank of the advance against counter attack by the enemy. 2/4/1945 The enemy had infiltrated back into the town overnight and in a brush into the north of Rheine that afternoon the 5th Batt. HLI, lost about a dozen men and one of their carriers, which caused concern in how secure the left flank was.
3. The opposition was of such high military quality, so brave and so resourceful such as elements of 60th Panzer Grenadiers, that within the next few days, the mountain troops of 157 brigade were to fight quite the sharpest and most intimate action. 3/4/1945 was a day full of incident for 157 Brigade. With only 3 servicable boats the 7th Camerons crossed to form a bridgehead on the other side of the canal, against heavy morter bursts and Spandau and sniper fire. It was decided that even though the troops of 157 Brigade were weary that the Bridgehead should be reinforced.
4. 4/4/1945 The 5th Battalion of the HLI crossed the canal before noon of the day and the reinforcement had proved worthy. By late afternoon a bridgehead was some 700 yards deep in places and 400 yards each side of the axis. With the Bridge still intact on the canal at Gocking the 5th Batt HLI was sent to secure the approaches on the enemies side by taking Gocking.. Having taken it it was found the bridge could not take vehicles. That night the 5th Batt.HLI without close support of anti-tank weapons they had a first -class dog-fight out on the left with a large party of Germans up to the old habit of infiltration.
5. The 157 Brigade long overdue to be relieved had done well were replaced by 156 Brigade. 4/4/1945 to 7/4/1945 The infantry had the task having taken the villages to mop up determined pockets of resistance and snipers.
6. The following is the account Dennis Emms gave to me, whilst I compiled information for our family tree research. After crossing the Dortmund Ems canal in a canvas boat they were attached to the 7th Armoured Division. During this period of the allied advance the 5th battalion HLI zigzagged around, carried by Cromwell tanks of the 7th armoured division, seeking out German snipers. German resistance was melting, but many 'die hard' had to be hunted down, with snipers hampering the advancing 5th battalion.
7. One casualty that Dennis Emms recalls after crossing the Dortmund Ems canal is that Ginger Beech (Private Sidney Beech 1725418,5th Bn,. Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) aged 29 died 4th April 1945), received a head wound having been a target of a sniper, the bullet passing straight though his helmet, which knocked him back in his foxhole leaving him laying back over the top of the trench top face up.
8. 2nd. Lieutenant Francis Joseph Reay service number 331906 of the Durham Light Infantry on attachment to 5th battalion HLI was killed on 4 April 1945 and is buried alongside Private Sidney Beech in grave 49.B.5 in the Reichswald Forest Cemetery. He was about twenty years of age, went into the copse, with another soldier to hunt down the sniper. Only the soldier returned, out of breath, reporting that the young Lieutenant had been killed. Shortly afterwards a German soldier of about fifty years of age crept out of woods coincidentally from the same area as the sniper was thought to be. One of the soldiers was threatening to kill the surrendering German, but Dennis Emms along with others wrestled and restrained him from carrying it out.