Private Robert Matthew Beatham

Service number	2056, 2742
Birth Date	1894-06-16
Birth Place	United Kingdom: England, Cumbria, Glassonby
Death Date	1918-08-11
Death Place	France
Final Rank	Private
Service	Australian Imperial Force
Unit	8th Australian Infantry Battalion
Places	France Glassonby
Conflicts/Operations	First World War, 1914-1918 First World War, 1914-1918
Gazettes	Published in London Gazette in 1918-12-14 Published in Commonwealth Gazette in 1919-05-23

Description

Born in England, Robert Beatham (1894-1918) came to Australia as a teenager. He enlisted early in 1915 and accompanied his battalion to France a year later. He was wounded twice: at Pozières in 1916 and near Passchendaele the following year.

The day after the Australians' successful advance on 8 August 1918, Beatham's battalion was thrown into a further battle which proved very costly. When held up by machine-guns, Beatham attacked four posts, killing or capturing their crews. He had already been wounded and, while attacking another gun, he was killed.

Collection items

Rolls

Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files:

Unit

8th Australian Infantry Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Roll of Honour:

Unit

8th Australian Infantry Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Honours and Awards:

Unit

8th Australian Infantry Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private

London Gazette

14 December 1918 on page 14779 at position 1

Commonwealth Gazette

23 May 1919 on page 886 at position 6
First World War Embarkation Roll:

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Honours and Awards (Recommendation):

Unit

8th Australian Infantry Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Honours and Awards (Recommendation):

Unit

8th Australian Infantry Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private

Timeline

Date of birth	16 June 1894
Date and unit at enlistment (ORs)	08 January 1915	8 Reinforcements to the 8th Battalion.
Date of embarkation	17 April 1915	Embarked for Egypt.
Other	1915-07	Returned to Australia for medical reasons.
Date of embarkation	1915-09	Re embarked for Egypt.
Other	1915-10	Arrived in Suez.
Other	07 December 1915	Taken on strength with the 8th Battalion and sailed with it to France.
Date wounded	1916-08	Wounded at Pozieres.
Date of recommendation honour or award	09 September 1916
Date wounded	1917-10	Wounded at Passchendaele.
Date of honour or award	09 August 1918	For action at Rosieres, east of Villers Bretonneux, France whilst serving with 8 Battalion, 2 Brigade, 1 Division as a Private.
Date of death	11 August 1918
Date of death	11 August 1918
Date of recommendation honour or award	19 August 1918
Other	08 March 1919	Beatham's Victoria Cross was received by his mother from King Goerge V at Buckingham Palace.