Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors

Frank Howard Beare was born on Mauritius on 20th January 1895 the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Charles Beare. His ancestor Mr Thomas Hudson Beare and his family were one of the first families to settle in South Australia.  They came to South Australia on the Duke of York and arrived in Kangaroo Island on 29th July 1836, some 6 months before the proclamation of South Australia. Beare was educated at Queen’s School, Adelaide where he excelled in study and cricket. After matriculation he began medicine at Adelaide University in 1912 and graduated with Honours in 1917.

Beare enlisted in the AAMC on the 7th August 1917 with 3 months experience at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, and with previous military militia experience in the 31 AAMC 78th Inf.  He was a single 22 year old, 5ft 7ins tall, 11st 7lbs, could ride and spoke French. He embarked from Melbourne for England on the 9th November 1917. He proceeded to France in May 1918 to the 5th, 6th, 7th Australian FdAmb, and 20th Bn and towards the end of November the Gas School.  After the Armistice he stayed in England as a RMO at the Essex County Hospital, Colchester, with his appointment terminated on 18th April 1920. He was issued with the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Beare was house surgeon at the Adelaide Hospital on returning home in 1920 and soon completed an MD with his study gastro-enteritis in children. He entered general practice at Mile End in 1922 and married Beatrice Field in 1923. Subsequently he was joined by Dr E F West (later one of the pioneer orthopaedic surgeons of Adelaide) and returned to England in 1930 for further studies as a physician. On his return in 1932 he was a founding fellow of the RACP. This career was followed by senior appointments at the RAH through to his retirement in 1955. Other medical related interests were the Mareeba Babies’ Hospital and the Royal British Nursing Association. He retained his interests in Military affairs; a lieutenant colonel in the Militia, DDMS at Keswick then joined the 2nd AIF in 1939 aged 44years and eventually became ADMS of the 6th Division, Northern Territory, 7th Division and the CO of the 2/2nd AGH. He was appointed CBE and awarded the ED. After the war he resumed practice and was a lecturer and examiner at the University of Adelaide. He is recorded as a trusted and loyal, a true friend, a trifle hot tempered, quick to recover his composure and bore no malice. He was a man of strong principles and he upheld tenaciously that which he believed to be right and proper. He was a good physician and teacher, singularly happy in his domestic life and had 3 sons. Frank Howard Beare died on the 9th October 1955.

Sources: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=306166      

MJA. 3rd Dec 1955 p957-8.                                

Photo RAH Digital Collection.