Secondary Source
For Valour
On 9 August 1918, the 8th Battalion was held up at Rosieres, France. Private Beatham, assisted by others, rushed forward and bombed and fought the crews of four guns, thus allowing the advance to continue and saving many casualties. A few days later, Beatham, though wounded, rushed another machine gun and bombed and silenced it. In this final act Robert Beatham was riddled with bullets and killed. It was 11 August 1918. He was 24.
Life before and during the war
Robert Beatham was English, and was born at Glassonby in Cumbria on 16 June 1894, one of nine sons of John and Elizabeth Beatham. He left school at 14 and worked at manual occupations in England. Robert emigrated to Australia with his brother Walter in 1913, and worked as a labourer in Victoria, before enlisting in the AIF in January 1915. He was initially sent to Suez and served at Gallipoli, landing in the second wave of the initial landing on 25 April. Beatham had to return to Australia for medical reasons, resuming his service in time to be sent to France in September 1915.Seven of the Beatham brothers served in the War, as did their father. Three of the brothers were to die in the conflict within five months of each other. Beatham's father with the 21st Battalion, also served at Gallipoli, arriving with reinforcements in late August 1915.
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