62515
BECK, Alfred William
| Service Number: | 4434 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ulverstone, Tas., 24 July 1890 |
| Home Town: | Birkenhead, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 21 October 1942, aged 52 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 4434, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 4434, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Adelaide | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 4434, 10th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Private Alfred William BECK was born on the 24th of July in 1890, in Ulverstone, Tasmania, although his hometown was Victoria Road, Birkenhead, South Australia. He enlisted in the AIF on the 1st of September 1915 in Adelaide, South Australia. He was 5’8” and 150 lbs, with his complexion described as fair, with blue eyes and brown hair. His next of kin was his father, R. Beck, who lived in Ulverstone, Tasmania. He had a brother in the military as well, Pte Cedric Roy Arthur BECK, in the 10th Battalion, who returned to Australia on the 5th of March in 1919. Alfred’s occupation before enlisting was a Labourer, and his religion was listed as the Church of England.
Alfred William Beck’s unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, when he was 25, on board the HMAT A28 Miltiades on the 7th of February 1916. He left and went to Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force on the 29th of May in 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles, France. On the 30th of July in 1916, Alfred William was taken on strength in the field for the 10th Battalion and then stayed with them until his discharge. He was reported missing in action on the 23rd of August and was later reported as a Prisoner of War in Germany. After the war ended he escaped from Germany and arrived in England on the 7th of December in 1918.
Alfred William Beck’s war service was for 3 years and 183 days, of which 3 years and 79 days were abroad in Egypt.
He returned to Australia on board the HT ‘Nevasa’, on the 5th of March 1919, and was admitted to the ship’s hospital, at sea, on the 11th of April 1919, due to tonsilitis. Alfred William was discharged in Adelaide on the 10th of June 1919, from the hospital and the military.
Alfred William Beck survived WW1. He is currently buried in the Williamsford/Roseberry Cemetery, in Tasmania.
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