Hero of the Month - October 2024
Published in Britain at War - October 2024
Major General Daniel Marcus William Beak VC, DSO, MC & Bar
Daniel Beak received no less than four bravery awards during the last two years of the Great War. His decorations were a testimony to his leadership skills and relentless courage meaning that, even before he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), he was already the recipient of the Military Cross (MC) and Bar and, later, the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He was also Mentioned in Despatches three times during a distinguished military career that spanned both world wars.
Daniel Marcus William Beak was born in Kent Road, St Denys, Southampton on January 27 1891. He was the son of William Beak, a master dairyman, and his wife Sarah (née Mullin). He attended Denys School and, later, Taunton’s School, both in his home city of Southampton.
After leaving school, Beak had originally trained to be a teacher, working at St Mary’s School in Southampton. However, after changing his mind on his desired career, he became the private secretary to a clergyman in Bristol.
After the outbreak of the Great War, Beak joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in February 1915 as an Ordinary Seaman but he was soon promoted, first to Petty Officer, then later to Temporary Sub-Lieutenant. He spent most of his wartime career serving with Drake Battalion, 1st Brigade, 63rd Royal Navy Division.
He served briefly during the Gallipoli Campaign against the Ottoman Empire, which had begun in February 1915, and he took part in the evacuation from the peninsula in early 1916. In May of the same year, he embarked for Mudros, Greece, but his stay there was short-lived.
In June 1916, Beak arrived in France and was soon in the thick of the fighting. It was not long, too, before he was awarded the first of his gallantry decorations.
The London Gazette of January 26 1917 announced Beak’s MC, stating: “He led his men in the attack with great courage and initiative and materially assisted in the capture of the enemy line. He set a fine example throughout.”
On July 18 of the same year, it was announced that he had been awarded a Bar to his MC: “For conspicuous gallantry during operations, when he continually dashed forward, under heavy fire, to reorganise the men, and led them on with great bravery through the enemy barrage and machine-gun fire.”
In October 1917, Beak left France in order to return to Britain to attend a senior officers’ course in Aldershot, Hampshire. By this point in the war, Beak was the Acting Commander of Drake Battalion and later in the same year, 1917, he commanded Howe Battalion. However, Howe Battalion was disbanded in February 1918 and, in the following month, he was given permanent command of Drake Battalion.
On July 26 1918, The London Gazette announced that he had been awarded the DSO. This award came for both a night assault and defending the Ytres-Bus road. His citation stated: “During a night attack by the enemy the right flank of his division was left in a dangerous position. He arranged for a flank to be formed in that direction, and subsequently covered the retirement of two brigades with a composite rear-guard which he organised and commanded. His initiative and presence of mind greatly assisted in extricating these brigades from a very difficult situation. Throughout, the skilful handling of his battalion was particularly noticeable.”
In July 1918, the German forces renewed their attack on the French lines over a 100 -mile front in the vicinity of Rheims. To start with, the Germans did well, crossing the River Marne for the first time since 1914. However, their assault soon stalled, in part because they came up against the Royal Naval Division, including Beak’s Drake Battalion, which had arrived in the Hamel-Aveluy sector in May for a planned Allied offensive.
Beak took part in the Battle of Albert, which began on August 21 1918. One of the main aims of the Allied assault was to gain control of the Albert-Baupaume road and thereby stop the Germans attacking from the north-west.
Beak and his comrades from Drake Battalion were involved in the fighting for control of Longeast Wood, between Ablainzeville and Achiet-le-Grand, lying north-west of Bapaume. On August 22, the second day of the battle, the Germans counter-attacked but by the following day they had been pushed back.
By August 25, the Royal Navy Division was assisting the New Zealand Division in the Allied attack on Grévillers, west of Baupaume. Four days later, Baupaume itself fell to the British. On September 2, the British attacked a line to the east of Arras and, yet again, Beak and his men were at the heart of the combat operations. In short, Beak showed such outstanding courage and leadership, that he surpassed even his earlier exploits.
The London Gazette later – on November 15 1918 – detailed the repeated acts that led to the award of his VC:
“For most conspicuous bravery, courageous leadership and devotion to duty during a prolonged period of operations.
“He led his men in attack, and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, four enemy positions were captured. His skilful and fearless leadership resulted in the complete success of this operation and enabled other battalions to reach their objectives.
“Four days later, though dazed by a shell fragment, in the absence of the brigade commander, he reorganised the whole brigade under extremely heavy gun fire, and led his men with splendid courage to their objective. An attack having been held up, he rushed forward, accompanied by only one runner, and succeeded in breaking up a nest of machine-guns, personally bringing back nine or ten prisoners. His fearless example instilled courage and confidence into his men, who then quickly resumed the advance under his leadership.
“On a subsequent occasion he displayed great courage and powers of leadership in attack, and his initiative, coupled with the confidence with which he inspired all ranks, not only enabled his own and a neighbouring unit to advance, but contributed very materially to the success of the Naval Division in these operations.”
It was fairly rare during the Great War for a VC to be awarded for prolonged periods of action but Beak’s decoration was awarded for some four days of fighting at Grévillers from August 21 to 25 and for additional combat on September 2 at Pronville, south-east of Quéant.
In fact, Chief Petty Officer George Prowse, also of Drake Battalion, was also awarded the VC for his bravery at Pronville. Among his brave deeds that day, Prowse charged a machine-gun post with a small group of his men and captured it together with 25 prisoners and five machine-guns. The citation for Prowse’s VC ended: “Throughout the whole operations his magnificent example and leadership were an inspiration to all, and his courage was superb.”
Prowse’s additional Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) is unusual for a sailor but he was fighting as an infantryman. Prowse was killed in action on September 27 1918, less than a month after his VC action. His posthumous VC was presented to his widow, Sarah, by George VI at Buckingham Palace on July 17 1919. His VC was the last one to have been awarded with the blue naval ribbon.
Beak received his VC from King George VI at an investiture at the Vincent Barracks Valenciennes, France, on December 6 1918 – the first naval VC recipient of the war to receive the decoration with red ribbon, generally for Army recipients, rather than blue ribbon, generally for Royal Navy recipients.
In April 1919, he was given the Freedom of the Borough of Southampton by his home city. Beak was demobbed from the Royal Naval Division in June 1919 and in the same month he was in charge of Drake Battalion in a ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales at Horse Guards Parade, London.
Beak found it difficult to settle back into civilian life so he rejoined the military, serving as a captain in the Royal Scots Fusiliers from March 1921. He served in Eire during the Irish War of Independence.
Beak married Frances Wallace, the only daughter of a decorated Lieutenant Colonel, in Kirkport, Ayr, Scotland, in September 1923 and the couple went on to have two sons. However, his wife died just seven years after their wedding leaving him to bring up their two young sons alone.
In 1929, Beak was given a brevet, or temporary, promotion to major, the rank being confirmed three years later. In 1932, Beak was transferred to the King’s Regiment in the rank of Major and during this time he served in India.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War Two, from late 1938 to 1940, he commanded the 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In July 1940, he was promoted to Acting Brigadier and he saw service in France, where he was once again Mentioned in Despatches.
He was promoted to Acting Major General at the end of 1941 and became General Officer Commanding of Malta in 1942. This was at a time when the strategically important island of Malta, then still a British colony, was under a relentless air bombardment from Italian and German forces.
In February 1945, Beak retired from the Army in the rank of Major General after an apparent fall-out with Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, affectionately known as Monty”, having served for the majority of both world wars. In his retirement, he lived in Lambourn, Berkshire, home to many racehorse stables. At one point, Beak was secretary of the local branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).
Major General Daniel Beak, VC, DSO, MC & Bar, died at the Princess Margaret Hospital, in Swindon, Wiltshire, on May 3 1967, aged 76. Six days later, he was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking, Surrey.
I purchased Beak’s medal group at auction in November 2003 and I am delighted to be the custodian of this courageous man’s gallantry and service medals. As the recipient of such a large and varied group of gallantry medals, Beak had a legendary status as a soldier and as a leader amongst his comrades.
In 2006, a bronze plaque was erected in Beak’s memory at the Borough War Memorial in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. This was sponsored by This England magazine and is all the more important as his grave has no headstone. Beak’s name is also on a memorial tablet to his wife, Frances, at the New Cemetery in Ayr.