243033 Bmdr. Thomas Leonard Beattie MM.Royal Garrison Artillery 35th Siege Battery from:Gosport My father, Thomas Beattie, was a professional soldier enlisting at Gosport, Hants in 1911. At the outbreak of WW1 he was a trumpeter at Gibraltar in a company of the RGA. Later mustered in the 35th Battery RGA and posted to France as Acting bombardier in 1915. He served in the Ypres Sector where it is believed he won his Military Medal. Later transferred to the Somme 1917.
On return to UK he was at Bulford Camp as a Sergeant married at St Leonard's Church in 1923. He then served in Egypt, India, Afghan frontier and held the GSM with Waziristan clasp. Promoted to Battery Sergeant Major serving at RA Headquarters Woolwich early 1920s, later RSM and commissioned as Lt (QM) 6th Regt. RA at Deepcut Frimly Hants.
Sent to France with the BEF at HQ Arras he later became a Dunkirk Veteran (holds the Dunkirk Veteran medal) after being knocked out on a beach and stripped of his uniform whilst unconscious! He returned with reminisce of the 6th Regiment to Aldershot to be part of the HAA for London at Bromley Kent (Sundridge battery). After service at Wolverhampton he was presented his MBE by King George at Buckingham Palace 1940 in attendance with myself and his wife.
He embarked at Liverpool for the Middle East but arrived at Singapore just before its surrender. Then off to Sumatra to destroy oil fields and on to Java after the loss of the regimental guns. Served as infantry to protect RAF airfields and captured by Japs in March 1942.
Then shipped to Japan as POW to Fukuoka Camps 1/12 and others. Liberated by Americans in September 1945 in poor physical shape but was rehabilitated by them and sent to Vancouver, Canada for transfer over land to New York, USA. He was then Capt. Beattie passenger on troopship as was the liner Queen Mary. The QM arrived at Southampton, Hants in November 1945 where she was met on the dock by my mother and I. Then back to Aldershot for debrief and to help his recuperation posted to Royal Artillery 457 Regt. TA as their Major QM at Portsmouth Hants (we were living over the ferry in Gosport!). This was interesting as it turned out that a few of the CCF officers/schoolmasters of my school in Portsmouth also were TA officers of the 457!
The family left Gosport in 1949 as father had been promoted again earlier to become Lt._Col (QM) at HQ RA Woolwich where he was RSM prior to WW2. After retiring there in 1953 father and us lived in our permanent retirement house at Kidbrooke, Blackheath, London.
Unfortunately dying there in 1965. So a veteran of WW1,WW2, Dunkirk and Jap POW thus serving all of 42 years as a typical professional holding two gallantry medals giving a total of 13 plus his Dunkirk French Corporation commemorative medal.
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