The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (WX6295) Lieutenant Harold Arthur Beames, 2/28th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (WX6295) Lieutenant Harold Arthur Beames, 2/28th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

WX6295 Lieutenant Harold Arthur Beames, 2/28th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force
KIA 22 July 1942

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Harold Arthur Beames.

Harold Beames was born on 30 May 1918 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, to Hurtle and Elizabeth Beames. His father was a filter press hand in the mines, and he had a sister, May.

Beames worked as a book keeper in Kalgoorlie, and on 13 July 1940, aged 22, he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force. For the rest of the year he underwent training in Australia, before embarking for overseas service on 3 January 1941 with the 2/28th Battalion.

Arriving in the Middle East a month later, Beames arrived with his unit in Suez, and travelled to Palestine, which was being used as a training base for the Australians. In March the 9th Division, of which the 2/28th Battalion was a part, was brought to Libya to garrison the area east of Tobruk. By April it had withdrawn to Tobruk, and spent six months defending the fortress there and patrolling the surrounds.

In late September the 2/28th was evacuated, and later moved to Syria and then Lebanon for rest, training, and garrison duties. During this time Beames had been promoted through the ranks, and after some months of training was made lieutenant on 28 June 1942.

By July 1942 the war in North Africa had become critical for the British. The Germans and Italians had reached El Alamein in Egypt, about 70 miles from Alexandria, and so the 9th Division was rushed to the front.

The 2/28th reached the Alamein front on 10 July and the division attacked a week later. On the evening of 22 July an attack was carried out towards the feature known as Ruin Ridge. Confusion surrounding the terrain and other aspects of the operation meant that the attackers failed to gain the objective, and at some point Lieutenant Harold Beames was killed in action. He was 24 years old.

The battalion suffered heavily at Ruin Ridge. Sixty-five officers and men from the battalion and its support units were killed or wounded; nearly 500 were captured and became prisoners of war. Of those who participated in the attack, only 92 men remained.

Lieutenant Beames is buried at the El Alamein War Cemetery in Egypt, under the inscription: “He answered the call. His duty nobly done.” Known affectionately as “Bill” and “Buller”, he was dearly missed by his family and friends, and dozens of them placed tribute notices in the newspapers in for more than a decade after his death. One, inserted by his mate Claude Wedgewood, read: “So long mate. I’ll always remember you as one of the best.” Another, from his family, said simply: “He did his best.”

Lieutenant Harold Beames’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 others from the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lieutenant Harold Arthur Beames and all those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Christina Zissis
Editor, Military History Section