War Memorial Beecroft
On 26 November 1918 a meeting was held in the Beecroft School of Arts to discuss erecting a memorial to those who had fallen in World War 1.The people of Beecroft enthusiastically agreed to raise money for the sandstone memorial which was designed by the architect William Laurie. It is located on the corner of Copeland Rd and Wongala Crescent, Beecroft.
Below is a list of the local men who gave their lives during the war and are commemorated on the memorial.
The information detailed below was compiled using the book Beecroft and Cheltenham in WW1 by Tony Cuneen and information from five websites:
The Australian War Memorial - www.awm.gov.au
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission - www.cwgc.org
Firstworldwar.com - www.firstworldwar.com
Anzac.org - www.anzacs.org
National Archives of Australia - www.naa.gov.au
Name List
Name: Bembrick, Henley Thomas Southwell
Rank: Private
Service Number: 408
Regiment: 3rd Battalion Machine Gun Corp
Age: 21
Place of Enlistment: Grenfell, NSW
Date of Death: 12 October 1917
Place of Death: Passchendale Ridge
Battle: Third battle of Ypres (Passchendale)
Memorial/Cemetery: Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium. No known grave
Relationships: Son of Thomas and Emma Bembrick of “Olessen”, Murray Rd, Beecroft, NSW
Other: Killed in action, going over the top, by enemy shell fire. He was not attached to the machine gunners on the day he died.
Name: Black, Alwyn Rufus
Rank: Sergeant
Service Number: 4658
Regiment: 25th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 31
Place of Enlistment: Glenmore, NSW
Date of Death: 20 May 1918
Place of Death: Morlancourt, France
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Ribemont Communal Cemetery Extension (Somme), France
Relationships: Son of Henry George and Emma Jane Black, of Beecroft Rd, Beecroft, NSW
Other: Died of wounds after being hit by enemy shell fire while returning to the Australian trench lines after working with a fatigue/working party. He was previously wounded in 1916. His last words were said to be “Hooray, I’m done”
Name: Blackwood, James
Rank: Private
Service Number: 3698
Regiment: 30th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 20
Place of Enlistment: Glebe, NSW
Date of Death: 2 December 1916
Place of Death:
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'abbe (Somme) France
Relationships: Son of Ludovic and Mary Wilson Blackwood, of “Maraba”, Pennant Hills, NSW
Other: At the time of his enrolment James Blackwood was a member of the Sydney University Scouts, a volunteer rifle corp. He died of wounds after being shot in the leg. He was previously wounded in August 1916.
Name: Cadden, Robert Labertouche
Rank: Lieutenant
Service Number:
Regiment: 30th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 27
Place of Enlistment:
Date of Death: 18 December 1917
Place of Death:
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, NSW
Relationships: Son of Robert Cadden, of Beecroft, NSW
Other: Robert Cadden junior was wounded in the face and hand while fighting at Fleurbaix, France, in August 1916. The wound healed but he subsequently suffered a heart attack. He was repatriated too Australia in March 1917 and died at the Garrison Hospital, Randwick, NSW of a heart attack due to Septic Endocarditis. He was officially listed as a causality of war.
Name: Crawford, Harry Keith
Rank: Bombardier
Service Number: 7163
Regiment: 5th Brigade, Australian Field Artillery
Age: 23
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 12 August 1917
Place of Death: Hill 60, Ypres, Belgium
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, Belgium
Relationships: Son of James Henry and Annie Henzelle Crawford, of "Doone", Malton Rd., Beecroft, NSW.
Other: Killed in action by an enemy shell near Hill 60 outside of Ypres, Belgium.
Name: Douglas, Joseph Howard
Rank: Sergeant
Service Number: 7459
Regiment: 2nd Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 22
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 11 April 1918
Place of Death: Amiens Railway Station, France
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: St Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France
Relationships: Son of Joseph and Marion Douglas, of Welham St., Beecroft,
Other: Killed by an enemy shell while loading regimental goods onto a train at Amiens Railway Station
Name: Finlay, Douglas Joseph
Rank: Private
Service Number: 2659
Regiment: 53 rd Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 21
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 1 September 1918
Place of Death: Peronne, France
Battle: Peronne, France
Memorial/Cemetery: Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, France
Relationships: Brother of Mrs Pierce Crosbie McDonnall, of “Allerton” Murray Rd. Beecroft, NSW
Other: Died of wounds.
Name: Kerr, Charles
Rank: Private
Service Number: 2593
Regiment: 37th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 39
Place of Enlistment: Lawson, NSW
Date of Death: 27 October 1917
Place of Death: 7th Canadian General Hospital, Etaples, France
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Etaples Military Cemetery, France
Relationships:
Other: Died of wounds after being hit in the arm, foot and chest
Name: Lea, Harry Noel
Rank: Private
Service Number: 3419
Regiment: 17th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 21
Place of Enlistment: Sydney, NSW
Date of Death: 14 October 1917
Place of Death: Poelchapple, Belgium
Battle: Third battle of Ypres (Passchendale)
Memorial/Cemetery: Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Belgium
Relationships: Son of Mrs Mary Caroline Lea of Beecroft Rd, Cheltenham, NSW
Other: Died of wounds at the dressing station of the 2/3rd East Lancashire Field Ambulance
Name: Meadmore, Arthur Noel
Rank: Sergeant
Service Number: 901
Regiment: 1st Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 21
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 22 December 1914
Place of Death: Egypt
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt
Relationships: Son of Clement and Frances Amy Meadmore, of Copeland Rd., Beecroft, NSW
Other: Died of pneumonia
Name: Nixon, Charles Ashwin
Rank: Lieutenant
Service Number:
Regiment: 4th Brigade Australian Field Artillery
Age: 29
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 24 September 1918
Place of Death:
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Doingt Communal Cemetery Extension, France
Relationships: Son of William Mark Nixon and Ada E. Nixon, of Malton Rd., Beecroft, NSW
Other: Killed in action after being hit by shrapnel in the back. He was on duty in a machine gun pit at the time.
Name: Rash, Percival Arthur Ronald
Rank: Private
Service Number: 4227
Regiment: 25th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 28
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 19 October 1916
Place of Death: Ypres, Belgium
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Vlamertinge Military Cemetery, Belgium
Relationships: Son of John Hardy Rash and Mary Ann Rash, of "The Pines," Murray Road, Beecroft, NSW
Other: Died of wounds after being hit in the chest by machine gun fire. He was taken to the 25th Regimental Field Aid post and died 3 or 4 days later
Name: Roberts, Harold
Rank: Lieutenant
Service Number:
Regiment: 3rd Brigade, Australian Field Artillery
Age: 33
Place of Enlistment: Sydney, NSW
Date of Death: 17th September 1917
Place of Death: Zonavre Wood, east of Ypres, Belgium
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery, Belgium
Relationships:
Other: Harold Roberts was the House Steward for Mrs Willinte of “Lorne House” Beecroft Rd, Beecroft. Mrs Willintie was also listed as his next of Kin. He enlisted in August 1914 and embarked for the war in September 1914 with the rank of sergeant. He was commissioned an officer in 1916, was wounded in the leg in 1917 and was killed in action by splinters from enemy shell fire.
On the 7th June 1917 he won the Military Cross for establishing a forward observation post in a captured German trench, after killing three German officers who had refused to surrender. He maintained communication by telephone and runners even though the wires were constantly cut. He was said to have acted “with great coolness and devotion to duty under very heavy shell fire and sent back valuable information to group headquarters.”
Name: Seale, Frank Lancelot
Rank: Gunner
Service Number: 18744
Regiment: 7th Brigade, Australian Field Artillery
Age: 33
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 11 September 1917
Place of Death: Tickbush near Ypres, Belgium
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: The Huts Cemetery, Belgium
Relationships: Son of John and Maria Seale, of Malton Rd, Beecroft, NSW
Other: Killed by enemy shell fire while sitting down to breakfast at the 25th Battery Wagon Lines.
Name: Smith, Cecil Walter
Rank: Private
Service Number: 9722
Regiment: 56th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 21
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 26 September 1917
Place of Death: Polygon Wood, near Ypres, Belgium
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium. No known grave
Relationships: Son of Horatio William and Lanty Smith, Walton Crescent, Abbotsford, NSW
Other: Killed by a sniper’s bullet in the chest. He was a runner for headquarters and was on a trench inspection with the regimental Colonel. He is listed as W. C. Smith on the Beecroft War Memorial and in the Red Cross records.
Name: Speechley, Wemyss Benjamin
Rank: Private
Service Number: 3387
Regiment: 35th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Age: 18
Place of Enlistment: Haberfield, NSW
Date of Death: 22 August 1918
Place of Death:
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Cote 80 French National Cemetery, Etinehem, France
Relationships: Brother of Miss Alice Marie Speechley of Bank St, Molong, NSW.
Other: On the Embarkation record Benjamin Speechley is listed as living in Beecroft Road. He originally tried to enlist in June 1916 and again in August 1916. He was officially discharged in November 1916 as he was under age. He re-enlisted on 13 July 1917 when he reached 18.
Name: Young, George
Service Number: 3658
Regiment: 14th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery
Age: 36
Place of Enlistment: Beecroft, NSW
Date of Death: 1 September 1918
Place of Death: Peronne, France
Battle:
Memorial/Cemetery: Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, France
Relationships: Son of David Young and Isabella Fraser, Cupar, Fife, Scotland and the brother of
Other: Killed in action by enemy machine gun fire while advancing left of the town of Peronne.
He was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal for going to the aid of a wounded officer while under heavy barrage fire. He administered first aid and took the man back to the dressing station. He then returned to his post and immediately gave assistance to the stretcher bearers while under enemy fire. It was said that “throughout the operations his coolness and determination were a source of inspiration to all ranks”. The recommendation was downgraded and he was awarded the Military Medal on the 14th January 1918.
