Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Francois Somme

Pte 2111 Clarence Beattie
19th Australian Infantry Battalion,
5th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division, AIF
 
Through the red poppies of the Somme, silent and solemn, stand row after row, the pristine graves of thousands of young men who, through their last words engraved in sacred epitaphs, tell us the stories of their lives lost too soon on the battlefields of northern France but who, together, did what was right and, united through the brotherly and sacred bond of camaraderie that guided them , fought shoulder to shoulder standing proud for their country whose most glorious pages they wrote and in the trenches, in the mud, under the bullets and shells of a world gone mad, all gave some, some gave all and on these sacred grounds, stand still young and walk with pride watching over each other eternally as they did in life and through the deadliest battles of the great war whose brutality tried to seize their souls but in the face of death and despair, they remained united to preserve our humanity and bayonets in hands, fell in the name of freedom and peace in which we live and in which I will always stand in front of them, in front of their graves with respect to express my gratitude to them, to honor their memory so that they live forever through the light of remembrance.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and with the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, of one of my boys of the Somme who, for our tomorrow, gave his today.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 2111 Clarence Beattie who fought in the 19th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division of the Australian Imperial Force, and who was killed in action 108 years ago, on July 26, 1916 at the age of 23 during the Battle of the Somme.

Clarence Beattie, who was affectionately known as "Clarrie", was born in 1893 in Temora, New South Wales, and was the son of Thomas Henry and Sarah Ann Beattie (née Johnson), of Maitland Street, West Wyalong, New South Wales. He was educated at West Wyalong Public School and after graduation worked as a tailor until the outbreak of the war.

Clarence enlisted on July 5, 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales, in the 19th Australian Infantry Battalion, 4th Reinforcement, which was raised in February 1915 at Liverpool and was then under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Kenneth Seaforth Mackenzie, a Sydney barrister and former Commanding Officer of the 25th Australian Infantry Battalion. After a training period of just over two months, Clarence embarked with his unit from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on September 30, 1915 and sailed for Egypt where he arrived on January 8, 1916, joined the MEF (Mediterranean Expeditionary Force) at Tel-El-Kebir, then the 19th Battalion joined the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) at Alexandria from where they proceeded overseas for France on March 18.

On March 25, 1916, Clarence finally arrived in France after a week on the Mediterranean Sea and was disembarked at Marseilles.From there the 19th Battalion was sent to the Somme where on July 23, 1916, at Pozieres they fought their first major engagement in what would become the deadliest battle for the entire AIF after the carnage of Fromelles on July 19.

At 12.30am on 23 July 1916, 22 days after the start of the Battle of the Somme, the Diggers of Australia’s First Division were moving into position under the cover of darkness.Little did they know their objective was about to become their hell on earth. Its name was Pozieres.Australia’s official military historian Charles Bean described Pozieres as: "The one place on earth most densely sown in Australian sacrifice".
According to one witness, the survivors of the First Division "looked like men who had been in hell, drawn haggard and so dazed they appeared to be walking in a dream and their eyes looked glassy and starey".
For the first three days of the battle, the First Division suffered over 5300 casualties. However this was just the start, for until the final withdrawal of all Australian troops on 3 September the various divisions, First, Second and Fourth, who had served in the battle on a rotation system, suffered an estimated 7000 killed and 16,000 wounded. Of those killed 4112 were never found or identified, due to what can only be described as the most intense artillery barrage of the entire war.When we compare the casualties of the Gallipoli campaign, 8700 killed and 17,000 wounded over a period of eight months, to Pozieres,7000 killed 16,000 wounded in only six weeks, we begin to understand the intensity and the suffering that was Pozieres.
Before the commencement of hostilities in 1914, Pozieres was a small French country village of 300 souls. They tended their cattle and vineyards. The houses were small, dowdy and close together. Poet John Masefield described it as "poor and without glory except for its lovely trees", but it had the misfortune of being situated on what the military termed, high ground.

Proceeded by a seven-day artillery bombardment that could be heard in the streets of Kent, the Battle of the Somme was intended to break the stalemate of the trench warfare that had existed on the Western Front since 1914. Unfortunately Pozieres was a major objective.Situated as it was, the area surrounding Pozieres was interwoven with German trenches with good fields of fire in all directions.

Early on the morning of 15 July and again at 6pm on the same day, the British had attempted to take the village. They failed. They tried again two days later and confronted by a defense system of 10 machine gun nests, the attacking British were annihilated.
Following these disasters, General Haig in conference with senior officers decided the Australian First Division would be used. Going in behind a well-planned and intense artillery barrage the Diggers achieved their objective and over the next three days took and secured the village.However in doing so they caused a bulge in the German front line. As a result the Diggers were surrounded on three sides by an enemy determined to retake the village.

The Australians faced what is now considered the heaviest artillery barrage of the first world war. It is estimated the British alone fired thousands of rounds into the village. Add to this the German shells coming in from three sides and the village of Pozieres ceased to exist.

After those first three days what was left of the First Division had to be withdrawn and replaced by the Second. This was the start of what was described as the "rotation of death".Twelve days of defending the village plus taking high ground known as the Windmill, they too had to be withdrawn and replaced by the Fourth Division.

They continued to consolidate and finally took Mouquet Farm just to the north, but German counterattacks finally retook the farm.Then on 3 September, 1916, all Australian Forces were withdrawn from the area. There were not enough soldiers left to continue the fight.

Lieutenant Arnold Brown of the 25th Australian Infantry Battalion, which was virtually annihilated at Pozieres, said: "The Pozieres battlefield will become a sacred place for Australians. It will attract pilgrims, perhaps more so than any other place."

Unfortunately, it was during the Battle of Pozieres that Clarence met his fate and was killed in action on July 26, 1916 at the age of 23.

Today, Clarence Beattie rests in peace alongside his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at the Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La-Boisselle, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "He has gone where the weary always find rest. God bless my dear boy."

Clarence had a brother who also fought bravely during the Great War. He was Private number 1317 William Henry Beattie who served in the 2nd Australian Infantry Battalion. Unfortunately William was killed in action on October 27, 1917 at the age of 30 in Ypres, Belgium and is now resting in peace at the Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery.

Clarence, young and entirely devoted to your comrades, it is with pride and the courage of an entire nation that stood by your side that you answered the call of duty and with your straight shoulders, your head held high, you followed your friends who, without hesitation, sometimes added years to their papers to join the game, to do their part and in these decisive hours, no man remained behind and followed their hearts filled with convictions and hopes then, after a brief training, after a last farewell in silent tears, left their homes, the love of their families for which they decided to give their today and from Adelaide, from Sydney, from Brisbane, thousands of young Diggers embarked on slow boats and under their slouch hats, turned their eyes to the future, to an unknown destination but they knew that no matter where they went they would not be alone and would fight with ardor and valor alongside their brothers in arms who, in the prime of their lives, without knowing what awaited them, sang one last time to deceive the fear that began to creep into their hearts.In these solemn moments, appeased by the sound of the foam and the waves of the ocean breaking lightly on the hulls of their ships, they were gathered in the communion of camaraderie and, after a long silence, their officers advanced towards them to tell them that they were going to fight in France, for the people and the children of France then, all committed their souls to god and prayed that they would be spared the fire and the hell which were waiting but, pushed forward by an incredible brotherhood, not a single one decided to back down and after a long journey, relieved to finally be able to breathe, they received the order to prepare and in endless but courageous files, alongside the neighing and nervous horses, marched in wisps of dust through the roads of northern France and found through the wheat fields, apple trees in blossom , poppies, the last moments of silence which were broken by the thunder of the artillery which fell on them like relentless thunder as they reached the trenches, a front line broken by shell holes as far as the eye could see and lines of barbed wire in which hung the bodies of men whose uniforms, riddled with impact were red with blood.Here, their hopes for a great adventure were confronted with reality and the horrors of the war which mercilessly swept away the innocence of these young men who, dirty, living in the mud, among rats and lice, saw strong men go mad under long artillery bombardment, they felt the earth tremble and collapse under the explosion of shells which, day and night did not stop falling in mournful howls then, in this madness, in this apocalypse, they saw their friends smashed to pieces but nothing made them back down and held their position with bravery, repelling waves of enemies who fell under the fire of their rifles until it was their turn to go over the top and after a last handshake, after a few words written with trembling hands on the papers intended for their mothers, and their loved ones, they heard the shrill echoes of whistles resounding over the fields of Pozieres and rushing bayonets forward united in the finest spirit of camaraderie which bound young Australian soldiers together and, guided by the ANZAC spirit, fought and gave their lives in the name of peace and freedom which are their most precious legacy, a legacy we must preserve by telling the story of these young men who, in France, gave their all and over whom I will always watch with love and care by perpetuating their memory so that their names live forever well beyond the immaculate white of their graves.

Thank you so much Clarence, for all you have done for us and for my country which will always have, towards the Diggers and the entire Australian nation, the deepest love and respect.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him, we will remember them.