BECKHAUS, Bernard Andrew
| Service Number: | 3763 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Camden, New South Wales, Australia, 23 April 1886 |
| Home Town: | Camden, Camden, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Concord, New South Wales, Australia, 1 August 1965, aged 79 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Nov 1915: | Enlisted Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Forces (New Guinea 1914), Private, 3763, 17th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3763, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3763, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Wounded Gunshot wound in the right knee. Evacuated to England | |
| 27 Apr 1918: | Wounded Gassed, severe and invalided to England. |
Andrew Bernard Beckhaus
From my grandmother I know the family were based in Urunga on the NSW Coast. Andrew was known as Bernard and worked as a railway worker. He went to war when my grandmother was a young girl. I know while he was away the authorities came to intern the family with a german sounding surname. They were sent away by my great grandmother. From what my grandmother has told me her father, Bernard Beckhaus was sent to training in Egypt before heading to active service. He was injured once and repatriated back to the front line. He was a "runner" between the trenches. He one of very few to survive a gassing before returning back to Australia.
Submitted 30 December 2014 by sharon kendall
Biography contributed by Jack Mccabe
Bernard was born in Camden, New South Wales, Australia on 23 April 1886.
He joined the Australian Army on 16 November 1915. After initial training he was assigned to the 17th Battalion Royal Australian Imperial Forces.
He was shipped to France and joined the British Expeditionary Forces on 26 March 1916. He marched out of Etaples and into the trenches on 3 August 1916. He was admitted to the hospital with scabies on 21 September 1916 and rejoined his unit on 24 September 1916.
Bernard was wounded by a gunshot in the right knee on 9 November 1916 and contracted sepsis. He was sent to England for treatment on 22 November 1916. He rejoined his unit in France on 9 October 1917.
Bernard was once again wounded on 27 April 1918 by poison gas. The case was listed as severe and he was once again sent to England for treatment.
After recuperating he rejoined his unit in the trenches on 21 September 1918. On 8 February 1919 he began the long trip back to Australia and his discharge.
Bernard died in Concord, New South Wales, Australia on 1 August 1965
Known Military Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal
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