36th BATTALION - 34th BATTALION AIF.
Private: 3019a William BEALE. (Aboriginal; Kamilaroi)
Born: 1896. Currababula via Werris Creek, New South Wales, Australia.
Married:
Wife:
Died: Victoria, Australia.
Father: Edward Beale. (18..-1932) Died at Quirindi, N.S.W. Death Cert:14585/1932.
Mother:
INFORMATION
William Beale enlisted with the AIF at Tamworth, N.S.W. on the 13th February 1917 and en trained to the Royal Agricultural Show Ground in Sydney on the 26th of February and then to the Liverpool Camp where he was allocated to the 7th Reinforcements 36th Battalion AIF on the 29th of February 1917..
4th April 1918.
A heavy burst of shelling occurred at CACHY and on some 6" Howitzer Batteries situated under cover of the S.E. corner of the BOIS D'AQUENSE, at about 3.30 am. At 5.30 am the fire thickened to heavy and general shelling, counter battle work and harassing fire suggestive of preparations for an attack. Just before 6.00 am shells fell in the wood near our bivouacs. The troops were hastily got out into the open. The shelling continued to be very heavy for about two hours, in the course of which two men were killed, and Lieutenant: 927 John LANG and 8 other ranks were wounded.
At 9:00 am orders were received to "Stand To" as it was expected the enemy would attack.At 11.45 am orders were received to proceed to position of readiness at U.5. central (South of VILLERS-BRETONNEUX) for defense of the village. Moved at 11.55 am and arrived at position of readiness without casualty despite general shelling of the area crossed. Lieutenant: Sydney Horace NEWELL (Scout Officer) reported direct to C.O. 35th Battalion, who was defending the line in part of the attack area. As the position of readiness the Battalion took up a position on the reverse slope of the hill on the east side of the VILLERS-BRETONNEUX - HANGARD ROAD, with "A" and "B" Companies just below the crest, "C" Company in close support, and "D" Company in reserve.
At 1.45 pm the C.O. and Adjutant reported to the C.O. 35th Battalion, at VILLERS-BRETONNEUX the village was being heavily bombarded. At 2.30 pm the Adjutant returned with the preliminary instructions to the 2nd in Command and the C.O. awaiting developments. At 4.45 pm the C.O returned with information that the Bosch had broken through the English line and was advancing on the village. While he was speaking heavy bursts of Machine Gun fire sprayed over the hill. English troops had been retiring for half an hour through our line but efforts to stop them were in vain.
The C.O ordered "A" Company and "B" Companies to immediately counter-attack. They did so with great spirit and in fine style sweeping along the southern end of the RAILWAY LINE. A party of English troops were seen to be reforming on our right. The Adjutant was sent with an invitation to their C.O to join in a Counter-Attack. Brigadier General: WOOD of the 55th Brigade was found to be Commanding in person and he immediately agreed, and went forward on the right flank of our "C" Company. In the advance great progress was made by "A" Company on the left under Captain: John Edward Wallace BUSHELLE who imbued them with wonderful Spirit and Confidence by his gallant leadership.
Owing however to organized opposition from special M.G. strong points in an orchard and two hay stacks "B" and "C" Companies were not able to keep up to the line of "A" Company's advance and wide gaps were left between all the Company frontages by reason of the extended front on which it was necessary to deliver our Counter Attack. The Reserve Company was however sent up to reinforce the center, link up the Companies, and, as far as possible, straighten out the line. Two small Companies of the 6th London Regiment who appeared at the time were also sent into the gap between "A" and "B" Companies and our gain was consolidated. Tools and ammunition were hastened forward by a small party from Headquarters - signallers, batman, police and gas personnel, - and this party brought back wounded on the return trip, doing excellent work.
36th Battalion War Diary
4th-5th April 1918
The First VILLERS-BRETONNEUX
The Strength of the 9th Infantry Brigade was about 2,250 but their casualties during the 2 days of fighting numbered 30 Officers and 635 men either killed in action or missing.
9th Infantry Brigade Casualties.4th-5th April 1918
| 33rd Battalion. AIF | 3 Officers | 82 Other ranks |
| 34th Battalion. AIF | 5 Officers | 120 Other ranks |
| 35th Battalion. AIF | 9 Officers | 282 Other ranks (including 44 missing) |
| 36th Battalion. AIF | 12 Officers | 133 Other ranks (including 1 missing) |
| 9th Machine Gun Company. AIF | 1 Officer | 18 Other ranks (including 4 missing) |
William was Wounded in Action on the 4th April at Villers-Brettonneux where he received a Gun Shot Wound to his Left Leg and was treated by the Australian Field Ambulance before being evacuated to the Casualty Clearing Station for further treatment and was invalided to England on the 6th of April where he was admitted to the 5th Southern General Hospital at Portsmouth.
After William was discharged from hospital he was transferred to the 33rd Battalion on the 14th June and proceeded overseas for France via Folkstone on the 19th June 1918. William went into billets and when he was marched out to the Front Lines he was transferred to the 34th Battalion on the 24th June 1918 and allocated a "prefix" a to his number 3019a.
8th August 1918.
Report of the Operation Conducted by the Battalion This Day. Headquarters 34th Battalion AIF. 8-8-18
ASSEMBLY. The Assembly March passed without incident and there were no casualties. The Battalion was in position for the assault at 3:25 am.
BARRAGE. The barrage opened at 4:20 am and was accurately placed. The enemy immediately fired single and double Red and Golden Rain Light Signals. The enemy's reply to our barrage was very ineffective but his Machine Gun fire was considerable during the early stages of the advance, but caused very few casualties.
LOCATIONS. Battalion Headquarters was located at P.16.c.1.7 before Zero, after Zero a temporary Headquarters was established at the Quarry at P.16.b.2.8 pending the report and the capture of ACCROCHE WOOD, from the two flank Companies.
THE ADVANCE. Owing to the dense fog observation was impossible and the tanks appeared to have great difficulty in keeping in touch with the direction. Runners were sent forward at 4:45 am to get in touch with the assault parties and at 5:15 am they brought back word from Captain: Albert Edward YATES 35th Battalion that his Company was through the Wood. Battalion Headquarters then moved forward through the wood towards CERISY VALLEY.About 150 stragglers of all Battalions including 3 Lewis Gun Teams were collected during the advance and formed into a Company.
Owing to the density of the fog and the obscurity of the forward position forward I deployed the Company and took them forward as far as GAILLY Line arriving there at 5:45 am. We later met a detachment of prisoners and were told by the escort that CERISY VALLEY was partially mopped up and most of the Units were moving forward to their objective. I than ordered all men of the 33rd and 35th Battalions to go forward to join their respective Units, and organised two posts with the men of the 34th Battalion, placing one in the enemy trench at P.24.b.3.3 (approx) and the other at P.18.d.0.7 (approx).
This latter post shortly afterwards established liaison with the 11th Brigade. The remainder of the Battalion assisted the 33rd and 35th Battalions in capturing and consolidating the GREEN Line. They were released from the GREEN Line between 9:45 am and 10:15 am and proceeded then to consolidate the GAILLY and RESERVE Lines as shown on map forwarded.
BOOTY. Owing to the conditions existing it was impossible to estimate the number of prisoner's captured by the Battalion as prisoners from the 3 Battalions were grouped to reduce the number of men required for escort. So far no estimate has been made of the number of Trench Mortars and Machine guns etc, captured in the area. Salvage operations are in progress and as soon as they are completed a detailed report will be forwarded. In the CERISY VALLEY one 21 cm and eight 7.7 cm guns were captured together with large quantities of ammunition.
Commanding Officer 34th Battalion AIF. (34th Battalion War Diary)
William was Wounded in Action on the 8th August where he received a Gun Shot to his Right Leg and was evacuated to England where he was admitted to the Southwalk Military Hospital on 11th August with a Severe Gun Shot Wound to his Right Leg and was invalided to Australia on the 25th January 1919 on board the "Ceramic" before he was discharged from the AIF on the 24th April 1919.
Family Information
William was a single 22 year old Labourer from Piallaway via Currababula, N.S.W. upon enlistment. his father Edward Beale was also from Piallaway via Currababula, N.S.W.
Werris Creek (and Currabubula) Small Town on the North West Slopes near Tamworth
The brook which gives the town its name is a tributary of the Mooki River catchment.
The area is thought to have been formerly occupied by the Kamilaroi Aborigines. 'Werris' would appear to derive from an Aboriginal word first written 'Weia Weia', though its meaning is unclear. In the early days the creek was written in a variety of ways, including Werres, Werries and Weery's.
The Kamilaroi tribe was subdivided into clans and classes which determined marital possibilities (girls being often betrothed in infancy and married by about 14). They wore opossum clothing and, for ceremonial or ornamental purposes, smeared themselves with red ochre and pipe clay, scarred their bodies and wore decorative headwear. The males hunted while the women gathered fruit. Weaponry consisted of elaborately carved clubs, spears and boomerangs and stone or flint tomahawks and knives. Fishing was carried out with the aid of weirs, spears and nets made of grass or bark.
The first Europeans were squatters who were in the area by the 1830s. Drovers and teamsters en route to the north and west via the Great Northern Road were drawn to a waterhole near a crossing over the creek. The Reverend Francis Vidal had established the 32 000-acre Weia Weia Creek Station by 1841.
There were about 20 pastoral families, producing Merino sheep, occupying the valley by the early 1870s. On the eastern side of the present townsite was Summer Hill station which belonged to John Single, after whom the main street is named.
The town proper developed in 1877 when 500 navvies set up temporary housing whilst extending the railway line from Murrurundi to Tamworth. When it was decided to build a branch line to Gunnedah (north-west) the town became a rail junction and a maintenance centre. A post office was established in 1877 and the railway was officially opened the following year. Even the coal mine, which commenced operations in 1925, revolved around the railways, being established to supply fuel for the steam engines although it was inevitably closed (in 1963) after diesel trains emerged.
Military Records
Under Construction: 09/04/2018.
