2nd Lieutenant Desmond Henry Beatty
| Date of Birth | c. 1893 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 21 |
| Date of Death | 21 February 1915 |
| Service Number | |
| Military Service | 2nd Battalion East Surrey Regiment |
| Merton Address | 5 Elm Grove |
| Local Memorial | King's College School, Wimbledon |
Additional Information
Desmond was born in Wimbledon in August 1893 and baptised on 27 September at St Mary’s Church. His father, Octavius Holmes Beatty, was a Barrister at Law who had been born in Brazil but was a British citizen. His mother was Margaret Mary Beatty and Desmond has an older sister Muriel and two old brothers, Claudius and Arthur. The family were living at 91 Merton Hall Road in 1901 but had moved to a 10 room house at 5 Elm Grove, Wimbledon by the 1911 census.
Desmond was educated at Rokeby School and at the age of 12 he obtained a Junior Classical Scholarship at King’s College School. He subsequently gained all the Classical scholarships that the school could offer and went on to read Classics at Hertford College, Oxford and in March 1914 he took a first class in Classical Moderations and ready for his final examinations when war broke out. Despite his classical background, he was a keen sportsman and played both rugby and hockey.
He had been a member of the OTC at Oxford and was immediately offered a commission which he accepted and was gazetted in the 4th East Surrey Regiment in August 1914. In January 1915, once his training at Devonport was completed, he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd East Surrey which was about to proceed to the front.
Desmond was wounded on 14 February by a splinter from a German shell which hit him in the back and severely damaged his spine. He was taken to the field hospital and hence to the 7th Stationery Hospital in Boulogne but died a week later on 21 February of his wounds. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery.