Private Fred Bellerby
Alexandra Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment, Green Howards
Born: 25th March 1913.
Story
Fred was the son of William Bellerby (1871-1927) and Elizabeth Florence Rhodes (1871-1951), who married in Kippax on 29th February 1892. On 30th April 1896, two of William’s younger brothers Fred and Harry were among 63 men and boys killed in the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. At the inquest, William had to separately identify his two brothers. Harry was the first to be recovered, and he described him being ‘as if asleep’, but 10 days later on the 12th May, he witnessed Fred who had been “burnt all over”. The following year William and Elizabeth had a son, whom them named Harry, and in 1913 they had their final son, whom they named Fred, in remembrance of William’s two brothers. William was a Grocer on Kippax High Street, then a Butcher. During the First World War, he was chairman of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Comforts Committee supporting Kippax Servicemen and Women, and also worked as a music teacher.
Fred was brought up on Chapel Lane, and was the delivery boy for Gallon’s stores in Garforth and would cycle round Micklefield on the shop bike delivering orders. On his rounds, he met Gladys Meakin whom he married in 1938. Gladys’ grandfather John Meakin had also been killed in the same 1896 colliery disaster. Fred and Gladys set up home at 114 Garden Village, Micklefield, and he worked as a Pork Butcher before the War.
Gladys worked in the Barnbow Munition’s Office during the War, while Private Bellerby joined the Green Howards in 1940, but on 10th July 1942, Fred was reported missing in Libya along with another soldier from Kippax, Leslie Hall. They were part of the 4th and 5th Territorial Army Battalions, serving with the 150th Infantry Brigade of the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, which was captured by Italian troops during the Battle of Gazala. Fred and Leslie knew each other from their time in Kippax, so used to reminisce about home during their time in captivity. On 20th April 1945, it was reported that Fred had been liberated from his German prisoner of war camp, and was back home on leave. After leaving the Army, Fred became licencee of the Bland’s Arms, Micklefield on 2nd February 1950, which he ran for 33 years into the 1980s (pictured below, with wife Gladys to the left of him):
Life-long Micklefield resident, Dennis Best, recalls that Fred always used bacon as an excuse for all of life’s problems: “During the winter we would look at the bit of flame in the coal fire and say, “Put some coyle on ‘fire Fred, it’s freezing in here.” Fred would reply, “Tha wants to get some bacon down thi. Get some bacon inside thi that’ll keep thi warm.” Fred had a coal shovel that was turned up at the end like a Turkish slipper and when he did decide to bring a bit of coal in for the fire, there would be two or three pieces on his shovel and he brought it to the fire like one of three kings bringing Jesus a present. Fred kept a really good pint when it was the old brew but on the few times it went off, we’d say: “Change this ale Fred, it’s going flat.” He’d look at it and tut then say, “There’s nowt up with ‘ale. Thas been eyting too much bacon, it’s ‘grease that’s mekin’ it go flat.””
After he retired, Fred would still work part-time at the Blands (pictured below), and when he wasn’t working there, he would be a very good customer in the pub. Dennis recalls him “drinking halves all through the day session then the night one too. He said he just ‘sipped steadily away’ and could get through 20 pints a day, and you wouldn’t know any different.” It seemed to do him no harm, Fred was living at 8 Great North Road, Micklefield, when he passed away in May 2005, at the grand age of 92.
Kippax Roll of Honour 