| Place | Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Ypres, Zonnebeke |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PAFU2015/520.01 |
| Collection type | Film |
| Object type | Last Post film |
| Physical description | 16:9 |
| Maker |
Australian War Memorial |
| Place made | Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell |
| Date made | 31 December 2015 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (21123) Driver Alexander Beatty, 110th Australian Howitzer Battery, AIF, First World War.
Description
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 Joanne Smedley, the story for this day was on (21123) Driver Alexander Beatty, 110th Australian Howitzer Battery, AIF, First World War.
Film order form
Speech transcript
21123 Driver Alexander Beatty, 110th Australian Howitzer Battery, AIF
KIA 13 October 1917
No photograph in collection
Story delivered 31 December 2015
Today we remember and pay tribute to Driver Alexander Beatty.
Alexander or “Alick” Beatty was born in 1884, one of William and Catherine Beatty’s ten children. His father had been the leading butcher in Queanbeyan, but died just months before Alick’s birth. Alick attended the Queanbeyan public school, and went on to become a stock driver and wool presser who also took an interest in photography.
In 1902, at the age of 19, Alick Beatty enlisted in the Commonwealth Contingent for Service in South Africa, although he was too late to see much active service. His brother Harry also served in the Boer War, and remained in South Africa for some time before moving to Canada.
For some reason Alick Beatty travelled to Queensland to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in November 1915. He was posted to the 9th Field Artillery Brigade and began training in Australia and then in England. In September 1916 his brother Harry, serving with the 102nd Canadian Infantry Battalion, was killed in action in Belgium.
A few months after his brother’s death, Driver Alick Beatty reached the battlefields of the Western Front in early 1917. He went on to serve in a number of different field artillery units, and towards the end of the year he was posted to the 110th Australian Howitzer Battery.
On 13 October 1917 Beatty’s artillery brigade was serving near the Belgian town of Zonnebeke, a few miles from where his brother had been killed. Beatty was driving ammunition to the front lines when a stray German shell struck the road nearby, setting off the ammunition he was carrying. The resulting explosion killed him and two horses outright, and badly wounded another driver.
Beatty was buried nearby, and his remains were later moved to the Ypres Town Cemetery Extension. He was 33 years old.
His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 Australians who died during the First World War.
This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Driver Alexander Beatty, his brother Private Henry Beatty, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.
Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section