BEESTON, Reginald John
| Service Number: | 4706 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 May 1915, Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Australian General Hospital |
| Born: | Southwark, South Australia, 7 May 1895 |
| Home Town: | Grange, City of Charles Sturt / Henley and Grange, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Adelaide High School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Woodville, South Australia, Australia, 17 July 1968, aged 73 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide High School Great War Honour Board, Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Grange Public School Roll of Honor, Henley Beach Council WW1 Service Roll, Henley Beach Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 11 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4706, 3rd Australian General Hospital, Adelaide, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 4706, 3rd Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 15 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 4706, 3rd Australian General Hospital, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 17 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 4706, 3rd Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 4706, 3rd Australian General Hospital, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement 4706 |
Help us honour Reginald John Beeston's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Joseph Spencer BEESTON and Ann Japp nee BOATH, Sea View Road, Grange, South Australia
Husband of Gwendoline Mary nee HONEY
Biography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Reginald John Beeston was born on May 7th, 1895, in Southwark, Adelaide. He went to Adelaide High School and later worked as a clerk. Reginald also trained for three years in the Citizen Forces, which gave him some early military experience.
By 1915, the war overseas had been going on for months, and like many young Australians, Reginald decided to enlist. At the time, he was 19 years old, single, and living in Grange. He made his brother, Angus Beeston, the publican of the Beehive Hotel in Adelaide, as his next of kin. On May 11th, 1915, Reginald enlisted in Adelaide as a Private in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), leaving behind his job as a clerk.
Reginald was issued the service number 4706 and was attached to the 3rd Australian General Hospital (AGH), a medical unit that played a crucial role in treating the wounded near the front lines. He embarked 15 Jun 1915 on HMAT Wandilla first to Egypt and then England. He arrived on the Western Front in May 1917 and was taken on strength with the 15th Field Ambulance. He was gassed October 17 1917 and admitted to hospital in France and then transferred to England for further treatment. Once he recovered, he was attached for duty at depot in Hurdcott and by March marched out to the No 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield. A few days later he was treated for scabies. He remained in service at the Harefield hospital until he returned to Australia in May 1919. He caught a bad case of influenza in October 1918 and was treated at Harefield.
Reginald arrived back in Australia 9 June 1919
Reginald passed away on July 17th, 1968, at Woodville, aged 73 years, and was laid to rest at Centennial Park Cemetery.