Samuel Beatty was originally from Northern Ireland. He was 33 years old, a Sanitory Inspector, living at 1 Charles Street in Jolimont. He appears to have had no realtivesin Australia, naming as his next of kin a friend, Mrs. Linda Dallimore, of 129 Powlett St., East Melbourne. Sam Beatty must have been a striking figure. He was 6 ' 4" tall, at a time when many men were of around the 5'6" or 7" in  height. 

He enlisted mid-way through the war, on 5 January, 1917, training from 5-17 February at Royal Park, North Carlton, with the 7/88 Battalion, before embarking on the HMAT A70 'Ballarat' for England. He disembarked at Devonport, near Portsmouth and was sent to Durrington to join the 9-10th Training Battalion at Camp No. 12.

Sam Beatty's major purpose at this stage seems to have been to get back to Ireland. On 11 June, 1917, he went AWL and was not heard again until 18 June, when he surrendered himself to the Military Police in Dublin. An inquiry into the incident gave him eight days total forfeiture and a fine of 24 days pay, a light sentence. He was sent back to Durrington and remained there until he was sent to join the fighting in France in November, 1917.

While Sam Beatty remained in England, the 38th Battalion were involved in several of the major battles which held back the German advance. In February, a special force was set up fomr the 38th and 39th Battalion to raid German trenches. On 7-9 June, they fought at Messines and then were sent ot Belgium, where on 4 October, they were part of a victorious force at Broodseinde, though with 29% casualties. On 12 October,  the disastrous battle at Passchendaele was fought and lost, with 62% casualties amongst the 38th. They retreated back to the Somme, seeing out the bitter winter in the trenches prior to the failed German Spring offensive in March, 1918.

Sam Beatty remained at Durrington in the reserves. On 26 September, 1917, he was before a court again, for having failed to obey AIF Order 719. Finally, on 6 November, he was sent overseas to France to join his battalion and was taken on strength on 18 November, 1917. He was with them for 8 months, so was part of the effort to hold back the German Spring offensive, but then on 18 July, he was transferred to the 5th Division Train, the group which worked behind the lines to bring supplies to the troops. 

During his time with the 5th Division, he was in hospital twice in October, once for a sprained ankle, the other for dysentery. it was, perhaps, seen as malingering, his medical report on discharge stating that 'he was now perfectly well'. He rejoined his unit on 5 November, but his marks the end of his military service: he was discharged and was shipped back to Australia on board the 'Ulysses' on 18 January, 1919.