FAMILY LIFE

Herbert William Beamish was born c1885 in Victoria. He married Ivy Marion Bridger in 1912 in Murwillumbah. The couple had 2 sons, Victor, born 1913 & Harold, born 1915 in Murwillumbah. They were living in Upper Burringbar and moved to Crystal Creek in July 1915

APPLICATION

He travelled to Brisbane on 10^th January 1916 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his wife, Ivy Marion, of Burringbar.  His medical showed he was 30 years 8 months old, 5ft 5 ½ inches tall (1.66m), weighed 140 lbs (63kgs), with a dark complexion, brown eyes & brown hair. His eyesight was good.

The Examining Medical Officer stated that Herbert “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.”  On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Herbert Willima Beamish swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

Herbert was Church of England. He was enlisted as a private into the 41st Battalion – B Coy with service No 377

41^ST INFANTRY BATTALION

The 41st Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force was raised in Bells’ Paddock Camp, Brisbane in February 1916, drawing recruits from Queensland and northern New South Wales. It was part of the 11th Brigade in the 3rd Australian Division. The 41st Infantry Battalion is remembered for its resilience and dedication

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

On the 18^th May 1916, the recruits left Sydney, sailing upon the HMAT Demosthenes. The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores

Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant. 

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

ENGLISH TRAINING CAMP

They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the English training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind. They began their training with physical fitness exercises, they were taught individual and unit discipline, how to follow commands, how to march, some basic field skills and how to safely handle his weapons.  Later, as soldiers specialised in a particular area (for example, machine gunner or signaller) they would be trained in specific skills and would take part in practice manoeuvres and sham fights. They would spend many hours learning training in the use of bayonets, anti- gas training and guard duty along with lectures on camouflage or trench warfare and much more

TRENCH WARFARE & THE WESTERN FRONT

After training in Australia and Britain, the 41st Battalion arrived in France on 25 November 1916. The recruits now found themselves fighting the German in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats

The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:

·      Front-line trenches: Soldiers typically remained here for about 4–6 days at a time. This was where the fighting was most intense and the conditions were the harshest.

·      Support and reserve trenches: After time on the front line, soldiers were rotated to these positions for around 6–12 days. These trenches were set further back and offered slightly better conditions.

·      Rest periods: Soldiers were then moved away from the trench system entirely for rest, training, and recovery, often lasting several weeks, depending on operational needs.

The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.

FRANCE 1916-1917

The 41st entered the front line for the first time on Christmas Eve and spent the bleak winter of 1916-17 alternating between service in the front line, and training and labouring in the rear areas. Herbert proceeded over to France on 31^st December 1916 on the SS Princess Victoria. He joined is unit on 5^th January 1917. He was admitted to hospital 5^th May 1917 sick, no details.

APPOINTED LANCE CORPORAL

Herbert was appointed Lance Corporal on 8^th August 1917

THE BATTLE OF BROODSEINDE, BELGIUM

It was some of the battalion's more "routine" tasks that proved its most trying experiences. The start of August found the 41st holding ground captured by two of its sister battalions in a feint attack on 31 July. Enduring continual rain, flooded trenches and heavy shelling many of the battalion's platoons dwindled from 35 men to less than ten. The 41^st captured its objectives at Broodseinde on 4 October with little difficulty. The Battle of Broodseinde was fought on 4 October 1917 near Ypres. The battle was the most successful Allied attack of the Third Battle of Ypres. Using bite-and-hold tactics, with objectives limited to what could be held against German counter-attacks, the allied devastated the German defence, prompted a crisis among the German commanders and caused a severe loss of morale in the 4th Army. Preparations were made by the Germans for local withdrawals and planning began for a greater withdrawal, which would entail the abandonment by the Germans of the Belgian coast, one of the strategic aims of the Flanders Offensive.

WOUNDED IN ACTION

One of the casualties of the battle was Herbert, who, on 5^th October, was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his head which fractured his skull.

HOSPITALISATION & COMMAND POST

He was admitted to the 57^th General Hospital, Boulogne then transferred to England and admitted to the Central Military Hospital in Chatham on 17^th October 1917. On 13^th November 1917 he was transferred to 3^rd Auxiliary Hospital and on 27^th November transferred to No.2 Command Depot, Weymouth which received men who are likely to be unfit for duty for a period longer than three months. Here he would convalesce but continue with drilling & training as the technology and techniques were rapidly changing and soldiers had to be up to date when they were ready to rejoin their units.

RETURNED TO AUSTRALIA MEDICALLY UNFIT

However, Herbert did not recover enough to return to duty and was returned to Australia on 13^th February 1918 on the hospital ship Runic. He was discharged medically unfit on 22^nd March 1918.

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service, Herbert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Werribee Shire Great War Roll of Honor

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