Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Ballarat & District in the Great War

‘…Nameless his grave on a battlefield glory,
Marked by a cross or a mound of brown earth;
Died in the pride of his youth and his glory.
Far from his home and the land of his birth…’

Reginald George Beaston was born at Ballarat on 28 July 1896. He was the youngest son of Englishman, John Edward “Ted” Beaston, and his Australian-born wife, Annie Harkness. With their family of nine children, Ted and Annie, lived in various homes in Ballarat, including Macarthur Street, Eastwood and Dana Streets and then, finally, in the home they named “Auburn”, situated at 35 Wills Street [now the east end of Mair Street], Ballarat East.

Reg’s early education was undertaken at a local private school, “Oura”, which was run by Miss Ada Kydd. He was then enrolled at the Humffray Street State School on 4 October 1910, where he completed his State level schooling. Whilst at Humffray Street, Reg became involved with the compulsory school cadets. He then progressed to the senior cadets with the 71st Australian Infantry Regiment in the Ballarat citizen forces.

In what could be presumed to be fairly typical behaviour of young men from any era, Reg found himself in a spot of bother in February 1914. He was identified a ‘one of a gang of young fellows who haunt the Coliseum and make themselves a pest.’ After many complaints were lodged, plain-clothes Constable Thomas Montague made enquiries and Reg was charged with having extinguished a lamp at the Coliseum. He was described as a ‘pest’ and fined the not insubstantial sum £1 in the Town Court.

Prior to enlisting Reg was working as a groom, like his father before him. He was a month short of his 19th birthday when he joined the AIF on 15 June 1915. His parents were required to sign their consent for him to serve. As his father had to sign using his mark, the document was duly witnessed by Reg’s sister, Ivy. With this safely in his pocket, Reg presented himself at the Melbourne Recruitment Office.

When he answered the standard enlistment questions, Reg admitted that his previous application for the AIF had been rejected because of his ‘chest.’ Normally this would refer to a lack of inches in chest measurement, but his chest was measured at 35 inches expanded on his second enlistment attempt only a short time after. However, a second set of attestation papers indicated that he had previously been rejected for being under height as required by the previous regulations. He certainly was only a slight lad, standing just 5-foot 3½-inches in height and weighing only 9 stone. Whatever reason the authorities had for rejecting Reg Beaston as a recruit on the first enlistment, he was accepted without hesitation on this occasion. The medical officer also recorded that Reg had a fresh complexion with blue eyes and brown hair.

Three days after Reg enlisted, his older brother, Alfred followed him into the AIF. They were eventually allotted consecutive regimental numbers and were posted to the same battalion.

In camp at Seymour Reg was immediately transferred from the 8th reinforcements to the 6th Battalion to 2nd reinforcements destined for the 21st Battalion. The Beaston brothers were only in camp for a brief few weeks before they boarded the troopship Demosthenes to embark from Melbourne on 22 July 1915.

After landing in Egypt Reg was again transferred, this time to the 24th Battalion. He sailed for Gallipoli on 30 August 1915. On 9 November Reg dashed of a letter to his mother. It would be his last.

‘…I have at last received one letter from home, also a paper, and I can tell you it is quite a treat to sit and read the Ballarat "Echo." had a letter belonging to Alf and read it., and then sent it in to him. It does hurt when you see all the boys getting letters, and some of us get none. I will go over to my old battalion when I get a chance, and see if my letters are lying there.

Well, to begin, when we came out of the trenches this morning, we all received free gifts. We put our hands into a hat and picked out bits of paper with the name of different articles on, and I got a pair of warm knitted socks, and I can tell you they were very acceptable, considering I had only one pair and had not taken my boots off for over a week. Well, I am going down now to the beach to have a swim and do a bit of washing.

I want you to keep on sending me the papers, especially the " Echo," as it gives all the war news.

I was surprised to read about my cousin Jack [John Wylie Winnett]. I did not know that he had died of his wounds. I was inquiring about him, and the men told me I would have hard work to find any of the 8th Light Horse, as they had gone from here. I said before that half of Ballarat was over here, and if we could just get the other half, now we would be right. The people of Australia don't know they are alive yet; but they would if they were here among the bullets, shells and shrapnel. We don't mind the bullets much; it is the others that makes one dance.

Well, now I have said all I can, as we are not allowed to write much, or rather, tell you everything in our letters as it in against the rules, so remember me to all the Ballarat lads, and I wish them all a merry Christmas—the same as I will have, I suppose, in the trenches; but keep believing, brighter days are coming…’

Two companies of men from the 24th Battalion, with Reg Beaston and Ballarat’s Private Edward Werner among their number, made their way forward to tunnels in the Plateau Sap at Lone Pine on 29 November. When they reached the tunnel, A Company was directed to the left and D Company to the right and were told to ‘block up in there for shelter.’ They had been there only five minutes when a shell burst directly over the tunnel burying many of the men. Confusion reigned as those who were able attempted to free their comrades. Another shell caused a further collapse of the breastworks and the burial of more soldiers. At roll call a number of men were unaccounted for including Werner and young Reg Beaston. The two men were reported missing and their families were duly informed.

On 4 January1916, Annie Beaston wrote a heartrending letter to Base Records,

‘…I write to ask you if you can give me any particulars about my dear boy, who is officially reported missing since 29th November I wish you to understand. He was in the 24th Battalion and his name among the missing in the papers was in the 21st and I have I thought perhaps there may have been a mistake made that way. I would be extremely thankful to any of the officers if enquiries could be made for me as I do not understand how to go about it myself and I am very anxious about him as I have two sons at the Front. The last letter I received from him was dated 9th November from Gallipoli. Trusting you will kindly favour with an answer….’

Further letters were written by Senator Andrew McKissock and Mr Charles McGrath, MHR, asking for enquiries to be made on behalf of the Beaston family.

For Annie Beaston the waiting and not knowing was interminable. She begged his returned comrades for any news of her son. One source said that Reg had been buried ‘in a tunnel with over 100 others.’ While the number may have been inaccurate his fate was not. A board of inquiry held in Egypt on 21 January 1916 found that Reg had been killed in action in that tunnel at Lone Pine on 29 November 1915. A cablegram was immediately dispatched to the Commandant of the 3rd Military District, asking for the news to be suitably conveyed to the families.

A sad tribute was paid to both Reg Beaston and Edward Werner on Sunday 20 February 1916, with the lowering to half-mast of the flags on the Ballarat City and Town Halls.

The worry and the anguish were to continue for Annie Beaston – on 25 May 1916 she was informed that her other soldier son, Alfred, was in the 26th General Hospital with appendicitis. Given that this condition very often killed the sufferer, Annie was understandably concerned as she had ‘already suffered the loss of one son.’

On 4 December 1916, Annie wrote a letter to Senator George Pearce, Minister of Defence, which indicated clearly the grief and loss she was feeling.

‘…I am writing to you to ask if you can kindly assist me in this sad trouble, it is just twelve months since my dear son was killed at Lone Pine, Gallipoli and all the information I have had was a wire from the Defence stating that he was killed on 29th November 1915. I am quite at a loss to understand why I cannot have something more definite considering other mothers and wives of the soldiers who were killed on that date with my son have all received a nice letter from the Chaplain who buried them (the Rev Percy Bladen) also their discs and kit bags have been returned to the relatives of some. All I ask you to do for me if you would be so kind is to let me know where my son was buried and if the same Chaplain read the burial over him and I would like his disc if it is possible. I am informed that my son was buried in a tunnel with over 100 others, was his body ever recovered?...’

As his body was never recovered from the collapsed tunnel, there was no chance of a grave and headstone for young Reg Beaston. As a consequence of not being able to mark his final resting place, Reg’s name was later added to the Lone Pine Memorial. He is commemorated alongside more than 4,900 Australian and New Zealand servicemen who died during the Gallipoli Campaign who have no known grave. The memorial, which stands on the site of the fiercest fighting for Lone Pine, looks out over the front line of May 1915.