Private, 3027, 1st/2nd Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
John was born on 7th October 1892, the eldest son, one of seven children, of Rowland (a grocer) and Louisa Selina Bevan, of Cefn-y-Bryn, The Grove, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
He was educated at Westminster College and was a keen hockey player.
He went to Egypt on 3rd August 1915 before transferring to France where he was a member of a Lewis gun team. John Bevan died on 10th September 1916, aged 24, during fighting at Leuze Wood.
A comrade, and fellow schoolmate, wrote,
'…To see him fall as I did, came as a great blow to me because of this friendship…during the 48 hours hard fighting on the 9th and 10th; were in the thick of it…We took up a position in an old German trench and held it throughout the night and at dawn another regiment crossed over our heads and made a futile attack at the trench in front of us. We stood the shelling throughout the remainder of Sunday losing men in large numbers through the terrific artillery fire…We advanced by platoons and came into direct contact with the Germans a few minutes after 3 o/c…in an instant both our leading officers fell dead as well as all the N.C.Os of the bombing section. There was no officer left…at the same moment a message was being passed back "Retire slowly boys”…
A message immediately followed this one from whom it came it will never be known "Advance the Lewis Gun 100yds to cover our retreat" It was at this point that Jack, with that stout heart of his, taking his machine gun and ammunition, went unwaveringly forward into "No man's land" and opened fire at the infuriated Bosches…He was killed instantaneously serving his gun, obeying an order which he knew meant death for the man who obeyed…'
He is also commemorated in St. Andrew's Church, Burnham-on-Sea.
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