Harry Churchill Beet

Harry Churchill Beet VC (1 April 1873-10 January 1946) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

He was 27 years old, and a corporal in the 1st Battalion, Derbyshire Regiment, British Army during the South African War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

Action

On 22 April 1900 at Wakkerstroom, South Africa, an infantry company and two squadrons of the Imperial Yeomanry had to retire from near a farm under a ridge held by the Boers. A corporal was lying on the ground wounded and Corporal Beet, seeing him, remained behind and put him under cover, bound up his wounds and, by firing, prevented the enemy from coming down to the farm until dark when a medical officer came to the wounded man's assistance. Corporal Beet was exposed to very heavy fire during the whole afternoon.

He later achieved the rank of Captain.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum "(The Castle, Nottingham, England)".

He later emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada, where he fought with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WW1. In 1936 he settled in Vancouver where he remained until his death

References

*Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)