Born 15 July 1886 in Dalhousie, Bengal, India [30: item 13164147]
Son of John Duncan Chester William BEAN and Ellen Anne WADE [33]
He was a British subject by birth [30] and was baptised as William Campbell BEAN on 11 August 1776 in Dalhousie, Bengal, India [33]
His father, who died in Western Australia in 1905, had been the District Superintendent of the Punjub Police Force in India [39: 4-Mar-1905]
Married Frances Mary PHILPOTT, who he'd known since he was 15, in 1906 in Perth, Western Australia [30: item 13164147] [66]
Greaser in Cunderdin, Western Australia 1906-1910 [50]
In 1912 and 1913 he was working as a Motor Mechanic and living at 22 Victoria Road in the Perth suburb of East Fremantle [50]
He gave his occupation as Engineer and his address as Hillway Street in the Perth suburb of Nedlands in 1914 [50]
While driving a car with four passengers in Subiaco on 20 May 1914 he hit Henrietta ROSS who subsequently died [225: 7-May-1914]
At an inquest witnesses gave testimony that Henrietta had hesitated crossing the road and that it was purely an accident [225]
He had "testimonials from prominent business and professional men who vouched for... [his] ability and carefulness as a driver" [225]
In 1917 he was working as a Motor Mechanic and living on Perth Road in the Perth suburb of West Guildford [30: item 3061062]
He was self-employed as a taxi driver in the Perth suburb of Midland Junction in mid 1917 [30: item 13164147]
He owned a motor car which he provided for hire, along with himself as its driver [30: item 13164147]
Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Perth on 10 July 1917 [30: item 3061062]
On enlistment was described as being 5 feet 9½ inches tall, weighing 166 lbs. with brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion [30]
He stated that he had some previous experience from working at the Military Office in Perth for two and a half years [30]
Embarked from Albany, Western Australia for active service abroad on the steamship Port Darwin on 8 May 1918 [30]
On the way to England he had to be taken off the ship and hospitalised due to being sick [30]
After recovering, he arrived in England and then proceeded to active service in France on 6 November 1918 [30]
Driver 16238 in the Australian Imperial Force's Mechanical Transport Company during the First World War [30]
Embarked on his return home on the H.T. Freidrichshuhe, disembarking in Fremantle, Western Australia on 28 February 1920 [30]
Discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 16 June 1920; received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal [30]
His mother, Mrs E. BEAN, was residing at 33 Military Road, Watersleigh in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1920 [30]
Following his arrival home he resided with his wife and three children at 3 May Avenue in the Perth suburb of Subiaco [30: item 13164147]
Later in 1920 they were living at 36 Hanover Street in North Perth [30]
He requested assistance from the Australian Repatriation Department for help in obtaining employment [30]
After applying to take up farmland under the Soldier Settlement Scheme, he was declared "Fit for Land" on 18 June 1920 [30]
He was a inpatient at Perth Hospital from 27 August to 27 November 1920 suffering from jaundice and enteric fever [30]
After leaving hospital and returning home he was unable to work for a number of months [30]
Resided with his wife and children on River Street in South Perth in 1921 and 1922 [6]
He worked as a motor demonstrator for the firm Denny Bros from 14 April 1921 until 5 May 1923 following his resignation [30]
They appear to have resided with his mother-in-law at 34 Roseberry Avenue in South Perth prior to shifting to Carnamah [30]
In 1923 obtained the 1,176 acre Lot 6 of the Inering Estate in Carnamah through the Soldier Settlement Scheme [3] [30: item 13164147]
Inering had been the 16,080 acre farm of Arthur G. DARLING until 1923 when he sold it for subdivision and soldier settlement [373]
The Department of Repatriation granted him six months' sustenance pay for "awaiting productivity of land" from 15 May 1923 [30]
With rail passes provided by the department, he and his son travelled from Perth to Carnamah by train in May 1923 [30]
The department agreed to provide rail passes for his wife, daughters and furniture to get to Carnamah at a later date [30]
Farmer in Carnamah, Western Australia 1923-1925 [7: page 66] [19]
His farm, Lot 6 of the Inering Estate, was situated on the north and south sides of what is now the Carnamah-Perenjori Road [62]
On 22 September 1923 he purchased two vacant blocks in the Carnamah townsite from the Midland Railway Company for £20 [27]
The two townsite blocks were 22 and 24 Boojerabba Street, Carnamah (Lots 64 and 63 of Victoria Location 1936) [27]
After building a house, his wife and daughters caught the train to Perenjori with their possessions in October 1923 [30: item 13164147]
Purchased a Ford car from Grave & Dwyer Motor Company Ltd in Perth in December 1923 [81: 20-Jan-1924]
On 7 July 1924 purchased from the Midland Railway Company 1,000 acres of land adjoining the eastern edge of his farm [27] [62]
The 1,000 acres were Lots M1008 & M1010 of Victoria Location 2022 and cost £600, including a 20% discount for paying cash [27]
In 1924-25 his Ford car was registered with the Carnamah District Road Board and contained licence plate CA-15 [325]
The Postmaster-General's Department had a telephone line built from Carnamah to the Inering Estate in mid 1924 [86: 24-May-1924]
He'd obtained the telephone on his farm by 1925 and was telephone number Inering-5H [60]
In 1925 he sold his 2,167 acre farm to Walter BODYCOAT as he didn't have sufficient income to cover his debts [7: pages 66-69] [30]
Left Carnamah in August 1925 and shifted to the Perth suburb of South Perth [2] [30: item 13164147]
He was unemployed for a number of weeks before commencing work carting wool from New Norcia to Perth [30: item 13164147]
During a bout of influenza he coughed up coloured sputum and decided to seek medical advice at the Perth Hospital [30]
He was put to bed at the hospital but an hour later he suffered a hemorrhage and suddenly died [30]
Father of Mavis, Denzil and Deborah [39: 1-Jun-1928]
Died 13 November 1925; buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Roman Catholic, HC, 97) [2]
According to his wife, he'd had a severe cough since returning from the war and that it was constant over his final two years [30]
As they were in Carnamah he'd never sought medical advice, avoided doctors and relied on remedies from chemists [30]
A postmortem found that he died of tuberculosis, or "Haemoptysis - old Tubercular cavitation of lung" [30]
Following his death his widow described him as "the picture of health and splendid manhood almost until the last" [30]
Others, including his mother-in-law and Carnamah neighbour Richard BATTY, painted a somewhat different picture [30]
They revealed his health had never been good after returning from the war and that he wasn't able to do a hard day's work [30]
His wife applied for a war widow's pension but it was rejected as it wasn't proven that his war service contributed to his death [30]
The ruling was later reversed and a war pension was allocated for both his widow and youngest daughter [30]
By mid 1932 his two townsite blocks on Boojerabba Street in Carnamah were owned by James T. CLINCH [3]
Boojerabba Street was renamed Robertson Street by the Carnamah District Road Board in March 1932 [39: 26-Mar-1932]
From Contract drawn up by E.H. Stirling, BROKER:
"CONTRACT OF SALE between VENDOR:- C.W. Bean. PURCHASER:- W. Bodycoat.
The Vendor agrees to sell, and the Purchaser agrees to purchase the Vendor’s farm, on a walk in walk out basis, situated at a point about 11 miles north-east of CARNAMAH railway station, being Inering Lot 6 and Midland Railway Company Lots 1008 and 1010, under the following terms and conditions:-
The Consideration to be the Purchaser shall pay the sum of £700/-/- (seven hundred pounds stg.) cash for the Vendor’s equity, and take over the Agricultural Bank mortgage and Soldiers’ Settlement Scheme liability amounting together to approximately £1,582/-/- (one thousand five hundred and eighty two pounds stg.). And also to pay the Land Rents account amounting to approximately £38/-/- (thirty eight pounds stg.)
The Purchaser shall pay a deposit of £100/-/- (one hundred pounds stg.), and balance of £600/-/- (six hundred pounds stg.) on registration of transfer. The Purchaser agrees to pay £5/-/- (five pounds stg.) deposit as an immediate deposit and balance of £95/-/- (ninety five pounds stg.) will be paid on the production of cropping contract, clearing contract, and the inventory.
Dated the 28th day of July 1925. Signed by the said C.W. BEAN ... Signed by the said W. BODYCOAT ..."
Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Campbell William Bean' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/campbell-william-bean [reference list] |
Use the below form or email history@carnamah.com.au |