Robert Matthew Beatham
Private, 8th Battalion. (Victoria) Australian Imperial Force
- Register No.
- 68 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Private all Privates →
- Unit
- 8th Battalion. (Victoria) Australian Imperial Force (register: 8th Battalion, AIF) all AIF VCs →
- Date of action
- 9 August 1918 on this day → all of 1918 →
- Conflict / campaign
- First World War
- London Gazette
- 14th December 1918 on this day → all of 1918 →
- Born
- 16th June 1894 had Glassonby, Penrith, Cumberland
- Died
- 11th August 1918 at Rosiere, France. (Killed in action)
- Award
- Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
- Memorial / grave
- grave in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, France; On the War Memorial, Glassonby; In Addingham-with-Gamblesby Church and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia
Digest of citation
On 9th August 1918 at Rosiere, east of Amiens, France, when the advance was held up by heavy machine-gun fire, Private Beatham and one other man bombed and fought the crews of four enemy machine guns, killing 10 and capturing 10. This helped the advance to go ahead, and when the final objective was reached, although wounded, he again dashed forward and bombed a machine gun, but he was killed while doing so
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
BEATHAM, Robert Matthew. (Reg No. 68).
Private 8th Battalion. (Victoria) Australian Imperial Force.
London Gazetted on 14th December 1918.
Born on 16th June 1894 had Glassonby, Penrith, Cumberland.
Died on 11th August 1918 at Rosiere, France. (Killed in action)
Memorials at grave in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, France; On the War Memorial, Glassonby; In Addingham-with-Gamblesby Church and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.
Digest of Citation reads: On 9th August 1918 at Rosiere, east of Amiens, France, when the advance was held up by heavy machine-gun fire, Private Beatham and one other man bombed and fought the crews of four enemy machine guns, killing 10 and capturing 10. This helped the advance to go ahead, and when the final objective was reached, although wounded, he again dashed forward and bombed a machine gun, but he was killed while doing so.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: grave in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, France; On the War Memorial, Glassonby; In Addingham-with-Gamblesby Church and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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