Record
William Keadance Bell
Contributor
Neill
Relationship
Other relative
Date Posted
28 March 2018
Note
Bill Bell was one of four Southland brothers who fought in World War 1. Another three of his brothers fought in World War 2. The eldest brother, Jim, was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers; the others were in the NZ Army. One of the four brothers, Tom, fought in both World War 1 and World War 2, so there were four Bell brothers at World War 1 and four Bell brothers at World War 2.
All but one survived, but one's wounds were particularly severe and another brother was badly shell shocked. Geordie was killed on Crete, where three of the four Bell boys who were at World War 2 fought.
Bill's family of eight boys and two girls migrated to Southland from Straiton, Ayrshire, in 1911. Another son was born in New Zealand. Bill was second eldest in the family, which farmed at Forest Hill, Southland.
After World War 1, Bill and one of his brothers who had also been fighting in France, Frank, went