McBEATH, Alexander Francis

This paper was written by and supplied courtesy of Graeme Fry (contacts held by the museum) Alexander was born at Mount Pleasant South Australia on 17th January 1877. He claimed[16] 16 months of active service with the First Imperial Bushmen in the Boer War. He joined the South Australian Police Force on the 1st January 1902. He transferred to the Northern Territory on the 1st September 1906 (Arrived on 16 September 1906.) He returned to South Australia in October 1911. In the Northern Territory, Alexander was stationed from the 16th to the 25th September 1906 at Palmerston. From the 25 September 1906 until the 14th November 1906, he was stationed at Pine Creek from the 17th December 1906 until the 10th May 1909. He was at Anthony’s Lagoon. From June to September 1909 he was again at Palmerston. From November 1909 until June 1911, he was stationed on the Tanami gold fields. Lawrie Debnam, records Alexander McBeath as having travelled to Tanami with Mounted Constable Vaughton from Palmerston in October 1909, passing through Pine Creek on the 19th October 1909. It appears that in April 1909 he received notice of his transfer to the Tanami Police Station. Alexander enlisted as private no.1968 in the Australian Imperial Force in Townsville on the 4th September 1915. He listed his employment as Constable Mounted. It is assumed that because he was in Queensland and his wife was residing in Cooktown that he might have joined the Queensland Police Force. He joined the Australian Imperial Force and was posted to the number 7 Depot Battalion on 1st December 1915. The records do not show any further military or police service. On the 6th January 1916 he was the subject of a report of him being a deserter. The report lists him as having deserted from the Exhibition Camp Townsville on the 21st November 1915. On the 1st of March 1916 a Warrant of Apprehension no. 99 was issued under the Defence Act 1901-11 for him having deserted the AIF on the 21st November 1915. There are no further details of him after the issue of the warrant. There is a record of an 85-year-old Alexander Francis McBeath being buried in Wallaroo South Australia in 1963.