Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Document: | New Zealand WW1 Masonic List | N.Z. | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Husband of Mrs L.M. Beamish. They lived at Te Kohn, Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New ZealandService Life:
Campaigns:
| Unit / Ship / Est.: |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Lieutenant Beamish, originally a sheep farmer from the Hawkes Bay, embarked from New Zealand in February 1915. After training with the NZ Mounted Rifles, Beamish headed for the Gallipoli Peninsula and was involved in the August Offensive that saw the New Zealanders take Chunuk Bair.
The Wellington Mounted Rifles along with other units including the Maori Contingent took a number of strategic positions as they moved forward up the ridge on 6-7 August and eventually captured Table Top (Pilav Tepe). After other units including the Wellington Infantry Battalion captured Chunuk Bair, the decision was to ‘hold’ until relieved, coming under heavy fire from Ottoman Turkish snipers, artillery and counterattacks.
On 9 August, on Table Top, Eric Beamish received a gunshot wound to the chest, an injury that would see him evacuated off the peninsula and transferred to England for a long period of convalescence.
Eric Beamish (now promoted), never returned to the front line and carried out administrative duties including company commander at the Hornchurch and Walton-on-Thames convalescent hospitals and Adjutant and Quartermaster at the New Zealand Discharge Depot in Torquay, until returning home on 12 January 1920. Whilst carrying out his duties, he was awarded the OBE “In recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war”.
Once home, his injury caused him problems for the rest of his life and with the bullet lodged in his chest he received a disability pension. Along with the wrist watch, the National Army Museum also holds a number of his artefacts including the x-ray copy that clearly shows the Ottoman Turkish bullet.
Detail :
Nature of Injury:
Rifle wound chest Pension: 13/- Percent of disability.
Source: New Zealand. Army (1920). List of the names of all ex-members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, suffering permanent disability from 20% to 100%
Citations & Commemorations :
OBE London Gazette 12/12/1919Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Warner No. 2256 E.C. | Essex |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
- | - | - |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley
Last Updated: 2022-01-25 09:56:17