Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Completed by Cowell Are School

Alexander (Alec) Robertson Beinke was born on 29 September 1888, in Oladdie, South Australia to Andreas (Andrew) Benjamin Beinke and Annie (Ann) Ingram Beinke. Alexander grew up in the Franklin Harbour district with four other siblings. The Beinke’s Yabmana home, ‘Ben Lomond’ was a pug and pine cottage that Andrew built on their farm. In 1894 the family moved to Narridy Creek where Alec attended the Elbow Hill and Yabmana schools. Overcoming hardship was part of Alec’s life from an early age with the death of a younger brother during childhood and his father, Andrew’s death in 1896 from septicaemia relating to a cluster of boils. Following the death of their father the Beinkes moved to the Barossa Valley briefly before returning to their Narridy Creek farm where Alec and his older brother ran the family farm.

An active member of the community, Alec was involved in the Narridy Creek Rifle Club and local sports. Alec also enjoyed playing music, he played the violin and the button accordion 

With World War 1 transpiring, Alec enlisted in the Light Horse. He was one of 30 men from the Cowell district who joined the Light Horse Brigade (Stocker, 2021)

Aged 27 years, Alexander Robertson Beinke enlisted on 28 February 1916. Alec joined “C” Company, 2nd Depot Battalion for Recruit Training with Base Light Horse, Adelaide. Private Beinke was placed in the 9th Light Horse Regiment, the 20th Reinforcement, on 1 July 1916.

On 27 July 1916, Alexander embarked on the RMS Malwa from Adelaide for Port Said, Egypt. Alec Marched In at the Isolation Camp in Moascar on 25 August 1916. After this Alexander would face a series of illnesses beginning with an eye infection followed by a case of mumps resulting in him being admitted to the 24th Stationary Hospital from 10 to 30 September 1916. Alexander was again admitted to hospital in Abbassia, Egypt for treatment of optic neuritis. 

After his treatment Alexander was reposted to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, then detached to the Imperial School of Instruction for the period 26 November to 16 December where he qualified as a First-Class Machine Gun Instructor.

On 19 February 1917 Alec re-joined the 9th Light Horse Regiment, he was promoted to Acting Lance Corporal 20 February 1917 (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 18). It seems he would have participated with the 3rd Light Horse Brigade in the 1st and 2nd Battles of Gaza where the Imperial Mounted Division was involved in two abortive battles to capture Gaza directly during March and April of 1917 (Virtual War Memorial Australia 2024).

Alec was sent to Railway Construction Works (115th Railway Company, Royal Engineers), at El Qantara (known by the Allies as Kantara) on the Suez Canal on 23 August 1917 (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 6). A supply depot on the Suez Canal, Kantara was the start of the desert railway (figure 6) and supply roads constructed by the British, both which were important when providing for a large force advancing into Palestine. Alexander’s role with the Railway Construction Site is unclear, but may have included instructing Egyptian labourers or deterring unfriendly parties.

Alec re-joined the 9th Light Horse on 5 August 1918 (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 29) from the 115th Railway Company, Royal Engineers (the Railway Construction Works). The 9th Light Horse took part in the capture of Jenin on 20-21 September and Sasa on 29 September 1918 (Virtual War Memorial Australia 2024). However, Alexander suffered a severe bout of malaria and was hospitalised during this time. 

After being in hospital and on sick leave Trooper Beinke (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 7) then returned to the 9th Light Horse Regiment on 30 November 1918 (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 28). The Regiment was initially waiting to return to Australia but helped put down the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 (Virtual War Memorial Australia 2024). Alec was appointed Lance Corporal and then promoted to Temporary Corporal on May 12 1919 (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 12). 

Alexander embarked on the SS Oxfordshire in Kantara and left Egypt on 10 July 1919 to arrive in Australia on 10 August 1919. Alexander served from 28 February 1916 to 16 October 1919, his service earned him the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 14).

Alexander shared snippets of information about his war experience with his family. Beinke (2024) remembers a story about marzipan where Alec spoke of a fondness for marzipan as a child but after seeing rather dirty looking feet mixing large tubs of almond meal, he never ate marzipan again. Alec also said that he was quite excited about seeing “the land of milk and honey” having created an image of paradise on Earth from childhood scripture lessons. He was disappointed as the land was barren and he commented on the number of goats that seemed to eat everything green within reach. Alec recounted inadvertently stepping on the decomposing corpse of an Ottoman soldier who had been shallowly buried. He was unable to get rid of the stench on his boots and had to be issued new boots.

Even after the war Alec’s medical struggles continued. The malaria he contracted during his war service stayed with him for the rest of his life when he periodically suffered with nausea, tremors, and night sweats. Alec returned to farming in the Franklin Harbour area acquiring more land through the Soldier Settlement Scheme (State Records 9 August 2024). He then married Katie Millicent Byrne and they had nine children.

Aged 51 years, Alexander enlisted (figure 8) in World War 2 on 24 June 1940. Alec served with the 4th Military Recruiting Staff at Port Lincoln, South Australia with the rank of Corporal. He served until early 1943 and was discharged due to ‘reduction in establishment’ (National Archives of Australia RecordSearch 2024 p. 3). Alexander received a War Medal and an Australian Service Medal for his service during the Second World War.

Once again after the war Alexander returned to farming and retired in 1952. Alexander and Katie remained in their farmhouse, ‘Ben Lomond’, until 1962 when they bought a house in Cowell. Alec remained a keen rifleman and kept his membership with the Coolanie Rifle Club. Alec would regularly visit the Cowell Harness Racing meetings because of his love for horses. Alexander’s true passion was politics, and he became a founding member of the Liberal Party. An active party member, Alec kept up with current politics while listening to Parliamentary broadcasts from Canberra (Beinke 2024). Alexander Robertson Beinke died on 12 October 1978.

References

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology n.d., ‘124 years of Australian rainfall’, viewed 3 September 2024, <http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/history/rainfall/>.

Australian War Memorial n.d., ‘Improvised cricket bat: 10 Light Horse Regiment, AIF’, viewed 3 September 2023, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C118070?image=1>.

Australian War Memorial 2024, ‘Photographs relating to Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bickerton Blackburn, Australian Army Medical Corps’, circa May 1918, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1237626?image=1>.

Baker, C. 2024, ‘The Long, Long Trail – The campaign in Egypt and Palestine’, viewed 24 August 2024, <https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/the-campaign-in-egypt-and-palestine/>.

Beinke, M 2024, ‘Michael Beinke’s notes – Alexander Robertson Beinke’. Communicated June 2024.

Chapman, S. 2020, ‘Eyre Peninsula Yarns and Family History’ (Facebook) August 2020 <https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=beinke%20fred%20alexander>

Eyre’s Peninsula Tribune 1913, ‘Agricultural Bureau. – YABMANA BRANCH’, (Cowell, SA : 1910 - 1950) - 27 Jun 1913 2014, Trove, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224360488?>.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2024, ‘Merriam-webster.com’, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingenuity>.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2024, ‘Merriam-webster.com’, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perseverance>.

National Archives of Australia 2024, ‘NameSearch Beinke, Alexander Robertson’, viewed 10 July 2024, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6330046>.

Robinson, H. E. C. circa 1920, Map of South Australia Showing Pastoral Stations &c (Second Edition) 221-223 George St. Sydney.

State Records of South Australia 2019, ‘Special List GRG35/320 Record of land held by soldier settlers – Soldier Settlement Branch 1917-1931’, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://www.archives.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/830017/GRG35_320_1917-1931_Record_of_land_held_by_soldier_settlers.pdf>

Stocker, B 2021, ‘Spreadsheet – WW1 research’. Located at Cowell RSL clubrooms.

Virtual War Memorial of Australia 2024, ‘Alexander Robertson BEINKE’, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/323133>.

Virtual War Memorial of Australia 2024, ‘9th Light Horse Regiment’, viewed 3 September 2024, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/68>.