Beard, Hubert Edgar
367 Corporal Hubert Edgar Beard - 10th Light Horse Regiment
Hubert Edgar Beard was born in Mildura Victoria in 1895 to Henry and Caroline Beard. He was one of several children and when the family was still young they moved to Western Australia. Upon arrival they took up residence at 53 Holdsworth Street Fremantle.
Bert was educated at Fremantle Boys School and after leaving school became a horse Driver and prior to the Great War had gone to the countryside to work as a stockman/boundary rider. He was working at Wagin when he enlisted in the Great War and had been a member of the local Wagin light Horse unit
On the 24th November 1914 Hubert enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 8 & 1/2 inches;
Weight - 133lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34 inches;
Complexion - Florid;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment Bert was sent to Claremont Camp and was taken on strength of "C" Squadron of the 10th Light Horse Regiment. His brother Ernie had been assigned to "B" Squadron. The 10th Light Horse would train in various places such as Guildford, Claremont, Fremantle and Rockingham over the next few months. (In the picture Hubert is sitting with his brother Ernie standing)
They soon received their orders to embark. Ernie, as part of "B" Squadron left Fremantle on the 8th February 1915 aboard the transport ship Mashobra. Hubert left over a week later with "C" Squadron on the transport ship Surada.
Arriving in Egypt in March 1915, the 10th Light Horse were sent to the recently vacated infantry lines at Mena where they were soon joined by the 8th & 9th Light Horse Regiments and so formed the full complement of the Third Light Horse Brigade. Training occurred for the Light Horse through March and April and soon word came back about the Australian and New Zealand Infantry landing at Anzac Cove. Wounded soldiers brought back the tales of the campaign and no doubt the Light Horse was eager to be done training to have a crack at the Turk.
In May 1915, the Light Horse Regiments were sent to the Gallipoli battlefield, minus their horses, as they would go into the lines as infantry. The majority of the 10th Light Horse sailed for the Dardanelles, reaching there on the 19th May. The 10th spent their time between the outposts of the Northern sector and Walkers Ridge, spending much time at the vital position at Quinn's Post.
Bert had been assigned to stay with the horses in Egypt, however he stowed away on the transport ship to the Dardanelles as he explained in a letter home to his brother Frank and which was later published in the newspaper.