DANIEL BEAK V.C. ... and my Grandad.

A year ago I wrote about my grandfather's experiences in the First World War as an NCO in the Royal Naval Division. I had had to reconstruct the account from his service record which I found online in the National Archive because he never actually spoke that much about the war right up until the time he died over 35 years ago.

My grandfather was wounded on 13th November 1916 when the 63rd Royal Naval Division was involved in a major operation to destroy a German held salient at Beaucourt near Beaumont Hamel (probably held by the 'Leipzig Regiment'). For years afterwards this date would be commemorated as 'Beaucourt Day' by the survivors of this closing phase of the Somme campaign known variously as the Battle of the Ancre or the Tenth Phase of the Battle of the Somme. My grandfather was in "Howe" battalion when they launched their assault that fateful morning. I recently saw some photographs of the battlefield and I was horrified to see the fields of mud they would have had to run over when they 'went over the top'. The casualties they suffered were horrendous. I have just discovered that out of close on 1,000 men 'Howe' battalion only had 21 left unscathed when all their final objectives were taken several hours later. The attack was considered an outstanding success.

My grandfather was in hospital for a couple of months and then seems to have spent 1917 working as an instructor back in England. I think he may have spent some time at a "grenade school" at Bretton's Bench in the New Forest, where recruits would have been trained in the use of munitions to clear trenches and obstacles.

In 1918 he returned to combat on The Western Front and was posted to 'Drake' battalion 'Howe' battalion having been disbanded. I was amazed to discover that during the closing months of the war when the allies were advancing on the Hindenburg Line 'Drake' battalion played a pivotal role in the British offensive. As the attack faltered 'Drake' battalion provided some backbone to the assault. My grandfather's immediate battalion commander was called Daniel Beak and for actions carried out principally on 25th August he was awarded the Victoria Cross (the UK's highest award for bravery): interestingly the citation says he was accompanied by a 'runner' during this action. My grandfather dismissively described himself as just 'a runner' and curiously his service record shows that he was wounded for a second time within 24 hours of Beak's charge!

It was only when I turned up this record did any of the family even realise that grandad, my mother's father, had been wounded for a second time. My mother wasn't even aware that grandad had been at the Somme! Of course I have to be careful in how I interpret all of this because I would like to believe it was my grandad who was with Beak that day - but it does make you wonder doesn't it? What is for sure is that he was with this unit at the right time and in the right place when they attacked the German defences and he was wounded in action the very next day as the fighting continued.

I think the thing I most admire about this story is NOT that my grandad was a hero - which he undoubtedly was whatever role he played - but that he never drew attention to the fact!