In Memory of Captain FRANK REGINALD BECK 5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment who died age 54 on 12 August 1915 Son of Edmund and Anna Maria Beck, late of Sandringham, Norfolk; husband of Mary Plumpton Beck, of Dersingham, Norfolk. Remembered with honour HELLES MEMORIAL Captain, 1st/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action on 12th August 1915 at Gallipoli. Aged 54. Son of Edmund and Anna Maria Beck, late of Sandringham, Norfolk; husband of Mary Plumpton Beck, of Dersingham, Norfolk. Agent to H.M. King, Sandringham. Commemorated: Helles Memorial, Turkey. Panel 42 to 44. Also on Roll of Honour at West Newton. Extract taken from de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914-1918, part 2, page 24. BECK, FRANK REGINALD, M.V.O., Capt., 5th Battn. The Norfolk Regt. (T.F.), s. of the late Edmund Beck, Land Agent to H.M. The King at Sandringham; b. Oxwlch, Co. Norfolk, 3 May, 1861; educ. Elmham County School, Norfolk; was Land Agent at Sandrlngham to H.M. the late King when Prince of Wales, 1891—1901, to King Edward VII. 1901-10, and to H.M. the King from 1910 till his death, and was mainly instrumental in the formation of the Sandringham Coy. of Volunteers (E Coy., 5th Norfolk Regt.), of which he was appointed first Capt. 19 May, 1906. He volunteered for foreign service alter the outbreak of war; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles, and was in command of his company during the attack on Anafarta on 12 Aug. 1915. On this day a large party of the Norfolks (including Capt. Beck and many of the Sandringham Coy.) disappeared Sir Ian Hamilton’s Despatch], and it is now supposed that they were cut off and killed; but nothing has ever been definitely ascertained as to their fate. He was made a Member of the Victorian Order (4th Class) 28 May, 1901, and created a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf by the King of Norway 13 Nov. 1006. He m. at West. Newton, co. Norfolk, Jan. 1891. Mary Plumpton (Sandringham, Co. Norfolk), dau. of the late Captain Clifford Wilson, of the Connaught Rangers, and 5th Northumberland Fusiilers, and had six children: Edmund Edward Jack. Alice Alexandra Margarotta, Ruth Mary Plunipton, Phyllis Mavis Sophla, May Barbara Joyce and Victoria Olga Joan Merle.
Re: Captain Frank Reginald Beck http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/LostSandringhams.htm
Re: Captain Frank Reginald Beck There was a book and film made about the Sandringham men ! "All the King's Men" was the title of a BBC television drama (described as a "major BBC drama" that was broadcast in 1999. It was based on the book "All the King's Men: One of the Greatest Mysteries of the First World War" by Nigel McCreery and first published in London in 1992 by Simon and Schuster UK Ltd. The book was reissued as a paperback television tie-in by Pocket Books; ISBN 0 671 01831 0.
Re: Captain Frank Reginald Beck The Regimental History of the 1/5th Norfolks This unit, 'The Sandringham Pals' is perhaps better known as 'The Vanished Battalion', as most of them perished in an ill-conceived attack on 12th August 1915 at Suvla. That they became so famous, was due to three factors - first of all, most of them were employed by the English Royal Family at the Sandringham Estate. A second strange fact was that - officially at least - their bodies were not found. And last but not least, long after the war, a strange story popped up, when two Gallipoli veterans declared they had seen the Norfolks march into a strange cloud, that engulfed them, then lifted and drifted away, leaving nobody behind. http://user.online.be/~snelders/sand.htm Extract from War Diary of Norfolk Regiment, showing entry for 12 August 1915 describing how 163rd brigade "lost 22 officers and about 350 men" during disastrous attack on Turkish lines TNA WO 95/4325 Crown Copyight
Arthur Devereux PATTRICK .... was also at Anafarta Captain. 1/5th Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action Gallipoli 12/8/1915 (see Vanished Battalion). Helles Memorial. Age 32. Only son of the late Alderman Thomas Pattrick and Mrs. Pattrick of St. Augustine's, King's Lynn. Educated at King Edward's School, King's Lynn. Married Alice Isobel Mary Gibson Hoff at Shouldham Thorpe on 30/8/1911. They had three children. He was a partner in the firm of Pattrick and Thompson Ltd., timber merchants, Lynn. His Officer's Service Paper details (WO374/52729) show that he was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, 27/9/1902, and Lieutenant 14/12/1906. The battalion became the 5th Norfolk Regiment, territorial Force on 1/4/1908. He trained with the Grenadier Guards at Chelsea Barracks and there qualified for his captaincy, which he received on the retirement of Capt. E. M. Beloe in February 1914 (actual date 7/3/1914). Embodied for service 5/8/1914. Reported missing 12/8/1915, death accepted as this date by a committee of adjustment under General Murray, 11/7/1916. Arthur commanded the Lynn Company of the 1/5th at Anafarta. In the attack he was seen to have been wounded, and was reported to have been disarmed and taken prisoner. Speculation as to his fate continued well into 1916 with newspaper reports claiming that photographs of him in a Turkish prison camp had been seen. Also named on King's Lynn War Memorial, and King Edward VII School War Memorial, King's Lynn. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/SouthLynnAllSaints.html
I came across this ! ...... thought it may give a little more insight .... The book argues that the 'mystery' about a disappearing battalion was because of the presence of the Sandringham men. It is suggested that 'the miliary establishment' did not want to publicise to King George V that the Gallipoli campaign, as illustrated by the loss of some of the Sandringham men, was the result of total incompetence on the part of the commanding generals and their staff. Only the royal connection encouraged the fuss that was made then and later. The loss of significant parts of many other units did not receive any such high profile attention.
BRASS PLAQUE INSIDE CHURCH OF ST MARY MAGDALENE SANDRINGHAM ESTATE. TO THE MEMORY OF CAPTAIN FRANK REGINALD BECK M.V.O. 5th NORFOLK REGIMENT and in GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF 25 YEARS FAITHFUL SERVICE AS LAND AGENT of the SANDRINGHAM ESTATES TO KING EDWARD VII, QUEEN ALEXANDRA & KING GEORGE V. KILLED IN ACTION GALLIPOLI DURING THE GREAT WAR ON AUGUST 12th 1915 AGED 54 YEARS. THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY KING GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY TO HONOUR THE MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE SANDRINGHAM COMPANY 5TH BATTALION, NORFOLK REGIMENT AND THOSE ON THE ESTATE WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR. THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.
