Cpl. Frederick Barnabas Beach

Mount Maunganui boiler erector Frederick Barnabas Beach enlisted to fight during World War I on 20 May 1918. He died of heart failure following influenza whilst in training at Trentham Military Camp on 10 January 1919, another victim of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. Frederick Barnabas Beach was born at Ōnehunga in Auckland, on 11 June 1889 (reg. 1889/7772). His parents were Frederick John and Elizabeth Ann Beach (née Broe) who had married in New Zealand in 1885 (reg. 1885/1048). Frederick's mother Elizabeth died, aged 38, on 14 January 1898 (reg. 1898/96). She was buried in Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland. In 1899 his father remarried to Mary Jane Maude Fitts (reg. 1899/162). Frederick worked as a boiler erector at Mount Maunganui. In 1913 he and Maud Anna Butler married (reg. 1913/6399). They had one child together: Frederick John Beach (1914-2007) [Born on 9 January 1914 (reg. 1914/9967). John died in 2007 (reg. 2007/26546)]. Frederick was also a singer, entertainer and blacksmith. On 20 May 1918 he enlisted at Hamilton to serve during World War I (Service No. WWI 90402). Frederick was still in training at Trentham when he contracted influenza during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.Cpl. Frederick Barnabas Beach died of heart failure following influenza at Trentham Military Hospital at Upper Hutt in Wellington on 10 January 1919. He was aged 29. Frederick was buried in the Hamilton East Cemetery on 13 January 1919. Details for Frederick's parents from the Auckland City Council Cemetery Records - Symonds Street are as follows: "According to the late 1950's tombstone transcriptions. Frederick John Beach died 2 December 1921 (reg. 1920/4954) aged 52 years, Elizabeth Ann Beach (his wife) died 14 January 1898 aged 38 years and Willie Beach (their child) died aged 3 months. The Catholic register has William John Beach died 12 March 1886 aged 2 months. The New Zealand Herald of 4/12/1920 has Frederick John Beach died 2 December 1920 aged 60 years, husband of Maude Beach, and buried 4 December 1920 in Symonds Street Cemetery." In 2014 Tauranga's 'Field of Remembrance' was created by the Tauranga WW100 Committee. It comprised 107 white crosses in memory of the men from the Tauranga area who died during World War I. Each cross carries a red poppy and the name of an individual who died. Source: Biography by Debbie McCauley (8 December 2014) https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/biographies/tauranga-rol....

Sources

1. Ancestry.com.
2. Archives New Zealand: Military Personnel File.
3. Auckland City Libraries: Symonds Street and St Stephens.
4. Births, Deaths and Marriages Online (New Zealand).
5. Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
6. Hamilton East Cemetery Records Online.
7. New Zealand Herald (14 January 1919, p. 1)