Private Robert Daniel Hood ‘Roy’ Beckett, 11th Battalion

Photo taken 1915-1916 

Robert, known as Roy, was born in Melbourne, but when his parents separated, he came to WA as a child with his father, also Robert, a lumper at Fremantle Harbour.

In September 1908 his father was badly injured when a falling sack pinned him down while loading cargo. His back broken, he was paralysed and died seven months later in April 1909.

Roy (14), his mother far away in Melbourne, was taken in by his father’s adored stepbrother John Whatman, and his wife, Esther. With their support, he finished school at Fremantle State and trained as a boilermaker’s assistant. 

On 18 October 1915 Roy (21) enlisted at Perth, citing his mother Christina as next of kin. His medical examination revealed he was slightly built; just 5’8” tall (172cm) and weighing 130 pounds (58kg). It also revealed a tattoo of a heart and dagger on his right forearm, usually indicating grief. 

Assigned as a private in the 11th Battalion, he embarked from Fremantle on HMAT Miltiades on 12 February 1916 to Egypt. From there he was deployed to England then France in April 1916. On arrival he was admitted to hospital for a fortnight, sick with influenza. He recovered and joined his battalion on 12 June. Five weeks later, he engaged in some of the heaviest fighting of the entire war in the ongoing Battle of the Somme. Roy was wounded at Pozieres, suffering shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder, between 22-25 July 1916. Invalided to England he recovered, but caught mumps in March 1917. He remained in England for several more months, recovering. 

He was sent back to the Western Front in time to engage in the Third Battle of Ypres, at Passchendaele, and was killed in action on 31 October 1917, just 15 days after rejoining his unit. 

Roy (22) was likely buried near where he fell as no burial place was recorded.

Three years later Christina wrote to the army, “I would be glad to know if his grave has been located and where he was killed. I have heard indirectly that he had a decent burial, but do not know where.”

It wasn’t until 1925, after the Graves Registrations Unit had gone through the area and exhumed remains found in isolated and unmarked graves, they were able to confirm he was then buried in Passchendaele New British Cemetery, Belgium.