Roll of Honor
Incident
About 11:00pm on the night of 17th August 1861, Sergeant Beard observed four men leave the Speech House and later saw three of them near a gate leading to a small field.
On asking one of them what he was doing and advising him that he would search him, Samuel was struck on the head with a stick and one of the three men called the fourth before all four men then assaulted the officer, knocking him to the ground and kicking him about the head and face until he lost consciousness.
In a statement made two days later, Sergeant Beard said he knew nothing after that until regaining consciousness on Sunday.
He died from his injuries a week after the attack.
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BO-GB-GLC-119093F7- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
165 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sergeant Beard served with the Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Samuel Beard is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In ENG, 702 of 2,827 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Gloucestershire Constabulary, 2 of 18 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 11.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Samuel Beard's cause is highlighted.
How Samuel Beard Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel Beard is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
