Beard, Robert
No.853 Trooper Robert Leslie Beard – 10th Light Horse Regiment
Ernest, Hubert & Robert Beard of Holdsworth Street Fremantle, were all products of Fremantle Boys School. They had been working as Station Hands & Boundary Riders up in the country, so when the call came out for those experienced with horses to form the Light Horse Regiments they jumped at the chance. They were posted to the Western Australian outfit, which was known as The 10th Light Horse Regiment. Frank, the eldest at 26 years old, didn’t follow his brothers; he went to the infantry, serving with the 51st Battalion.
Ernest, 21 years old, & Hubert, aged 19, were original members of the 10th Light Horse Regiment, while Robert, 23 years old, formed part of the 4th Reinforcements.
When Ernest & Hubert joined the regiment they commenced training immediately, firstly at Guildford but later at Claremont, Fremantle and Rockingham.
Ernest, part of B Squadron, left Fremantle on the HMAT “Mashobra” on the 8th February 1915. Hubert, part of C Squadron, left over a week later on the 17th February aboard the HMAT “Surada”.
The ships reached Egypt a few weeks apart in March 1915.
The Light Horse Regiments soon camped in Egypt near the infantry battalions, but by April 1915 it was plainly seen that the infantry had been leaving for a destination unknown but popular rumour had it as Turkey.
Meanwhile Robert had left Fremantle with the 4th Reinforcements on the “Argyllshire” on 19th April 1915. Robert kept a short diary during his war service.
Monday 19/4/15
Left Fremantle per S.S. Argyllshire
Tuesday 20/04/15
Man fell down hold. Appointed mess orderly for trip
Wednesday 21/4/15
Horse died
Thursday 22/4/15
Another Horse died. Sports held on board.
Friday 23/4/15
Raining all day
Saturday 24/4/15
Concert on board
Sunday 25/4/15
Church service
Robert’s ship arrived at Colombo on the 29th and set sail for Egypt.
Saturday 8/5/15
Passed Aden. Passed four steamers Entered Red Sea 2 horses died
Sunday 9/5/15
2 horses died, passed 12 Apostles. Church parade.
Thursday 13/5/15
Arrived Suez, sick sent ashore. 2 British and 1 French warship in Harbour. Received news Australians landing at Dardanelles.
Friday 14/5/15
Disembarked at Suez, Boarded train for Cairo at 4pm. Arrived Cairo 11pm.
Saturday 15/5/15
Saw Ernie & Bert. Ernie & Bert left for Dardanelles at midnight.
The infantry had landed at Gallipoli on April 25th. The Gallipoli terrain was not conducive to Mounted style warfare, so the Light Horse were not immediately utilised. However with the infantry coming up against the redoubtable Turks and having incurred large casualties the Light horsemen were asked for assistance. They had to leave their horses behind in Egypt and go to Gallipoli dismounted to help their infantry mates. The men of the 10th Light Horse left Egypt on the 15th May & Ernest & Hubert landed at Anzac on May 19th. Robert was not far behind.
Friday 21st
Received orders to go to Front, Wrote to Father & Bert.
Saturday 22nd
Left Heliopolis for Alexandria by train. Arrived Alexandria and boarded transport A10.
Sunday 23rd
Left Alexandria for Dardanelles. Man fell overboard was saved by crew
Monday 24th
On Submarine guard, followed by a destroyer.
Tuesday 25th
Passed by destroyer carrying survivors of H.M.S. Triumph. Arrived Lemnos Island, harbour full of French and British war ships
Wednesday 26th
Issued with 2 days rations, transferred to destroyers. Landed at Dardanelles, under shrapnel fire, one killed several wounded. Saw aeroplane dropping bombs . Put in dugout behind trenches.
Thursday 27th
Saw Ernie and Bert, attached to C Squadron, Transferred to B Squadron. Ernie went into trenches. Sapping from 8pm till midnight, one man wounded.
Friday 28th
Standing to arms from 12.30am till daylight. Two aeroplanes flew over Turkish trenches. Seven men shot by snipers on fatigue. On guard 10.45 to 12.15. Using bombs freely in trenches.
Saturday 29th
Turks guns opened fire about 3am. Our guns replied with interest. Turks blew up our trench at Quinn’s Post and attacked violently at daylight, they were repulsed with heavy losses. Standing to arms from 3am, called to reserve trenches just as we were starting breakfast. Taken to support trench at 4pm. Air ship flew over Turkish trenches and dropped notes. Stood to arms at midnight and taken to communication trench with fixed bayonets. Turned in again at 2.30am.
Sunday 30th May
In support trench till 1pm, ordered to arms, fixed bayonets and supplied with hand grenades. Ordered to charge and take saps joining Turkish trench. Reached sap with small losses. In sap with 9 or 10 others when they dropped bomb among us, wounding Sgt Thornton, P Douglas, Capshorn, Sgt Harper, Brownie, myself and a couple of others. Four more bombs dropped but thrown back, and exploded in Turks trench. Turk showed himself at end of sap, and was shot. Climbed over barricade of sand bags, and reached our own trench, very weak. Taken to field hospital and wound dressed. Taken from there to beach hospital and put aboard fleet sweeper. Saps taken and held for three hours. Our boys driven out by superior numbers.
Monday 31st
Taken to Lemnos Island and transferred to Hospital Ship Franconia
Tuesday 1st June
Wound painful, wound dressed.
Wednesday 2nd
Leg much easier. Can’t get enough to eat.
Thursday 3rd
Tucker scarcer than ever. Kings Birthday, expect there will be some thing doing in the trenches. Wound dressed.
Friday 4th
Not feeling too well. Sent cards to Father and Bert, wrote Ernie.
Saturday 5th
Wound discharging and painful. Franconia left Lemnos for Alexandria.
Sunday 6th
Wound still painful, man buried at sea.
Monday 7th
Arrived Alexandria, laying out. Supplied with new pants and sox. Ship went alongside and put some wounded ashore.
Tuesday 8th
Burst artery in leg. Lost large quantity of blood. Taken ashore and to Victoria College Hospital No.17.
Wednesday 9th
Artery keeps breaking, in terrible pain.
Thursday 10th
Put under operation and leg opened up
11th
To weak to write
No.17 General Hospital
Alexandria 11/6/15
Dear Father
I suppose you have heard by the paper that I have been wounded. I sent you a card from the front. I suppose you got that. It is nearly a fortnight now since I was hit. I got hit on the left leg with a piece of bomb. It entered just below the knee and came out at the calf. Ernie & Bert were both well when I left, but have heard nothing of them since.
We were only in Cairo four days before leaving for the Dardanelles, and I was not there a week. I can’t say much about it as all our letters are censored. I told Ernie and Bert I thought I would be back very soon but I made a great mistake. It went along alright for a week, until one night an artery burst, and I lost a good lot of blood, that was on the hospital ship the night before arriving here. I began to pain very much then and kept on bursting, until yesterday they put me under an operation…
The letter was unfinished. Robert Leslie Beard died of his wounds in hospital on the 14th June 1915. He is buried at Chatby War Memorial Cemetery Egypt.
His effects were later gathered up to be sent back to his family in Fremantle. In a strange twist, the ship they were sent back on was the “Argyllshire” the same ship Robert embarked from Fremantle on.
For Ernie & Hubert, the war would go on at Gallipoli. Both survived the campaign, getting through the August offensive unscathed.
Both continued to serve with the 10th Light Horse through their campaign in Egypt, Sinai & Palestine.
Frank who was married, offered his services to the A.I.F. on the 10th June 1916 in Perth. He was accepted for service and assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion. He returned home in 1919.