Egbert Williams Beach
Some facts taken from the Piedmont Post, Jan 15, 2014. Additional details and facts have been added and revised.
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Egbert Williams Beach, born on October 6, 1888, in San Francisco, was the son of Edith Lillibridge Pope (1864-1936) and Ransom Elias Beach (1859-1948), originally from Newark, New Jersey. His family had moved to the East Bay in 1891, and later settled in Piedmont. Along with his two sisters, Egbert grew up in a home at 110 Sunnyside Avenue, designed by renowned architect Bernard Maybeck, after the family moved across the bay. Edith was actively involved in the Piedmont community, while Ransom managed his esteemed interior decorating and home furnishings business in San Francisco and Oakland. Their family ties extended to the First Baptist Church in Oakland, where Egbert attended Sunday school.
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Egbert graduated from Oakland High School in 1909 and graduated from the College of Engineering of the University of California. His career began with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. during California's industrial expansion, where he worked at the Deer Creek Power Station in the mountains east of Nevada City. In 1910, he authored an article for the company magazine on crafting skis, detailing the challenges faced by employees navigating the snowy terrain during winter.
In 1910 he penned an article for the company magazine describing how to make skis.
"The employees of Deer Creek have to use skis in winter to enable them to travel over the snow," he began. Listing the many challenges in learning how to use them, he added, "It takes practice, you see, to become a ski rider."
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Transitioning to the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways as an engineer, which operated a rail line that ran into Piedmont. Egbert's life took a patriotic turn with the outbreak of World War I. He enlisted in the Army, rising to the rank of second lieutenant and serving with Company B, First Regiment Engineers, First Division in France. He was stationed initially at Camp Lewis, Washington, and later in Hoboken, New Jersey, before being ordered to France for active duty. He reached England on December 24, 1917, and from there proceeded to the Second Corps Engineer School at Chatillon-sur-Seine, where he underwent intensive training before joining the First Engineers. On April 27th, he was sent with a detachment to Villers-Tournelle, and while locating some trenches for an Infantry working party was killed instantly when a German 155 mm shell exploded nearby. It is a sad irony that two days earlier, on April 25th, orders had been issued from headquarters in Paris summoning him to return to the United States to serve as an instructor of new troops. His family decided that France should be his final resting place, though his remains were later moved from a battlefield grave near Villers-Tournelle to the Somme American Cemetery at Bony.
Tragically, Egbert lost his life in action on April 27, 1918, becoming the first Californian officer to perish in the war. His sacrifice, along with six others from Piedmont, was commemorated by renaming Lake Avenue School in his honor that same year.
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Egbert's legacy endures through various memorials, including his burial site at Somme American Cemetery in France and additionally, an American Legion marker bears his name at the family plot at Mountain View Cemetery on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. He is also memorialized in Piedmont on the marble plaque in front of the Veterans Memorial Building, which lists the name Egbert Beach and the six others from Piedmont who were killed in World War I.
In 1910 Egbert Beach was registered as a Republican
and in 1916 Beach had changed his affiliation to the Socialist party
Beach Killed in Action
Egbert Willians Beach, grandson of John F. and Malvina L. Pope (see record of Pioneers, State Library, Sac.) was graduated from the University of California, May 17, 1916. Received his education in Oakland, Cal. schools. Received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant at Vancouver, Wash, and in August was sent to Camp Lewis and attached to 316th Engineers, U.S.R. In November, he was ordered to report to Hoboken, N.J. and embarked from there, December 10, 1917. sailing on the Tuscania on its last successful voyage, reaching England on Christmas eve. Jarly in the year, 1918, he was sent to Francerand in March was ordered to the front. He was killed in action, April 27, 1918, just a few days before the time set for his return to the United State where he would have served as instructor for our troops He was buried in the American cemetery at Villers-Tournelle near Mont didier. He was a member of the 1st Baptist Church, Oakland, and a most successful worker in the Sunday School among the boys. He was an American of the 10th generation.
He was the first California officer killed on foreign soil in this war.
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Signed Edith L P Beach
110 Sunnyside Ave
Dated Dec 12, 1918 Piedmont, Cal.
Oakland Tribune – May 8, 1918:
Lieut. Beach of Piedmont Among Slain
“Lieutenant Egbert William Beach, killed in action,” is the brief message received by Mr. and Mrs. Ransom E. Beach, 110 Sunnyside Avenue, Piedmont telling them of the death of their only son on the battlefields of Europe. Lieutenant Beach was killed in action April 27. The telegram bringing the news from Adjutant-General H.P. McCain. The name appears on the casualty list sent out from Washington today.
Lieutenant Beach would have been 30 years old had he lived till next October. He was born in San Francisco and was graduated from the Oakland High School. Before entering the officers training camp last day he was employed in the engineering department of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways.
The young California was commissioned in the engineer corps and sailed for France last December on the Tuscania, the trip being the one immediately preceding the fatal voyage of the transport during which the vessel met disaster.
Besides his father and mother, Lieutenant Beach is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Frederick Paul Vickery of Palo Alto and Miss Dorothy Beach of Oakland. His father is manager of the Beach-Robinson Company in San Francisco.
As the United States entered World War I in 1917, Piedmont’s men were called to serve. Seven Piedmont men died in World War I. Albert Farr designed their memorial made of marble. It was originally placed in the grove of redwood trees to the east of the commercial center where it was the site of Memorial Day observances, but has since been moved to the entrance of the Veterans’ Building.​
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Egbert William Beach
Henry Augustus Butters
Otto Julius Carlsen
Hunter McClure
Frank Jay Field
Thomas Edward Graves
Carl Castlemayne Jones
Finding Beach's grave
Finding out more history about Egbert Beach has been easier with the collaboration of the internet. The Piedmont Historical Society did not start researching Egbert until the last 30 years which limits the amount of information that had been collected.
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On May 26, 1918, the parents of Egbert Beach were sent a letter that told them he was buried "in Grave no. 8, Row 2 American Cemetery, Villers-Tournelle, France." An unknown Beach student later visited France and wrote a paper on his gravesite finding his remains were later moved from a battlefield grave near Villers-Tournelle to the Somme American Cemetery at Bony.
Beach home - 110 Sunnyside
Oakland Public Library - Piedmonter - Sept. 23, 1981
Swift, A., Buttlaire, D. (2007). Cottages & Castles:
The Centennial Houses of the City of Piedmont.
Beach Family History
Oakland Tribune - Saturday - Jan. 15, 1910, Page 10:
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Unites Pioneer Families. Miss Charlotte Beach, whose engagement to Frederick Vickery was one of the week's announcements, is the granddaughter of a San Francisco pioneer, the late John F. Pope. Her mother was Miss Edith Pope. Miss Katie Pope, the elder sister, married Richard King, who was associated with the Law brothers, Hartland and Herbert, in a publishing business before the Laws went in for Viavi and real estate. Mr. King took his wife to Chicago, where they have made their home ever since. Miss Beach was named after her mother's school chum, Miss Charlotte Sharlock, who married John Rush. Mr. Vickery, like his bride-to-be, comes of a good family. His father, W. K. Vickery, is the well-known art dealer. Both the Beach's and Vickerys live in Piedmont. The wedding will not take place for one year.
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Charlotte Beach was the sister of Egbert Beach. William Vickery (father of Frederick) and wife Sarah lived at 780 Kingston Avenue.
