John Hampden Beasley

People Buried Here

Description

Excerpt from 'The Pambula Voice' insert in the Magnet Newspaper, April-May 2002

When John Hampden Beasley of Towamba enlisted to fight in the First World War, he was a willing volunteer, as were his four brothers Alf, Harry, Arthur and Ted. Arthur, the youngest, had to put his age up to be accepted as a soldier. All five saw active service, Ted being killed in France. Hampden was the only one of the brothers to find himself at Gallipoli when the landing took place on April 25, 1915.

Mr. and Mrs. Grant agree that Hampden never liked talking about his war experience, particularly at Gallipoli. (Hampden Beasley was Gloria Grant's father).

"He used to say that Kitchener pulled them out because they weren't doing any good there," Mr. Grant recalls. "It was the done thing for young men to volunteer - you couldn't have stopped them."

The Beasley brothers wrote to the girls back home in Towamba. "All the local girls used to write to the boys who were on active service," Mrs. Grant said.