The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will commemorate the service and sacrifice of Bunbury resident Private William John Beer at the Last Post Ceremony on Tuesday 28 January 2025, the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Sandakan death marches.
"William Beer was born in Bunbury, WA, on 7 February 1917, the second of four sons born to George and Margarette Beer," Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.
"Known as Bill, he grew up in Bunbury alongside his three brothers and four sisters, attending the local St Mary's Convent School."
Bill Beer enlisted with the Second Australian Imperial Force on 10 August 1940 and transferred to the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion in November.
In late January 1942, the 2/4th machine-gunners reached Singapore just prior to the surrender of Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February. The battalion suffered heavy casualties and survivors, including Private Bill Beer, were held in Japanese prisoner of war camps for the next three years.
Following Allied air raids on the Japanese airfield at Sandakan from September 1944, the first forced march of 455 malnourished prisoners from Sandakan to Ranau began on 28 January 1945. A second march of 536 prisoners began on 29 May. Among them was Bill Beer. He is recorded as having died of illness during this death march on 14 June 1945, aged 28.
The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas Day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.
Each ceremony shares the story behind one of 103,000 names on the Roll of Honour. To date, the Memorial has delivered more than 3,800 ceremonies, each featuring an individual story of service from colonial to recent conflicts. It would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.
"The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service," Mr Anderson said.
"Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.
"The Last Post is now associated with remembrance but originally it was a bugle call to sound the end of the day's activities in the military. It is a fitting way to end each day at the Memorial."
The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Private William John Beer will be live streamed to the Australian War Memorial's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.
The stories told at the Last Post Ceremony are researched and written by the Memorial's military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.
