Harold Francis Beamish

Born 1896 - Died 26 Oct 1986

Service number: —
Also known as: —
Armed force / branch: Air Force AWMM
Navy AWMM
Last rank: WW1 Royal Naval Air Service AWMM
War: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM

Show empty fields Hide sources

Biographical information

Attended Wanganui Collegiate School. AWMM
Born in Hawke’s Bay on 7 July 1896, Beamish grew up at the family’s Whana Whana Station and was educated at Huntly School and Wanganui Collegiate. When the First World War began, the young Beamish wanted to fly. In 1915 he attempted to enter flying training in New Zealand but was rejected on medical grounds because of an apparent heart problem. He did not give up.Beamish travelled to Britain, where a London specialist could find nothing wrong with his heart. He subsequently joined the Royal Naval Air Service, was commissioned as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant and trained as a pilot. By early 1917 he was serving operationally with No. 3 Squadron RNAS on the Western Front. This was an extraordinarily dangerous period to be a military pilot. Aircraft were fragile, engines unreliable, cockpits open to the elements and combat often took place at close range. Beamish proved exceptionally capable. Flying aircraft including the Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel, he fought German aircraft over France and Belgium, protected naval operations and intercepted German bombers. His service record described him as an exceptional and daring pilot and an outstanding flight leader.
For his gallantry and skill in the air, Beamish was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 1917. King George V personally presented him with the decoration in London the following year. Beamish returned to operations and continued adding to his combat record. When the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps were combined to form the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, No. 3 Squadron RNAS became No. 203 Squadron RAF, and Beamish continued fighting with the new service. By the end of his operational career, Harold Beamish had been credited with 11 aerial victories, making him one of New Zealand’s leading fighter aces of the First World War and the highest-scoring New Zealander to serve with the Royal Naval Air Service. His survival was remarkable. On 21 July 1918, while flying near Merville, his aircraft was badly struck by ground fire. One bullet reportedly passed through the aircraft and emerged immediately behind his head. Two days later he left his squadron after being granted six months' leave in New Zealand. Even the voyage home was dangerous. His convoy was attacked by German U-boats, with a ship close to his own being torpedoed. Beamish reached New Zealand safely. While he was home on leave, the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. His war was over. He returned to Hawke’s Bay and resumed the life he had left behind, becoming a farmer at Whana Whana. Remarkably, he retained a panel from the fuselage of his Sopwith Camel, decorated with a New Zealand fern leaf, as a reminder of his wartime service.
Public - John - Researcher - 7 September 2026 - Remembrance Army

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.

Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Harold Francis Beamish

Harold Francis Beamish

Identity

About

Images and documents

Images

Documents

Civilian life

About birth

Service

Wars and conflicts

Military decorations

Training and Enlistment

Embarkations

Prisoner of war

Medical history

Last known rank

Biographical information

Biographical information

Death

About death

Memorials

Memorial

Sources

Sources