Reginald Beattie was born on 5 October 1895, the son of Michael Beattie and Clara Sabrian (nee Smith). He was christened at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Chapel Allerton on 23 November 1895, the christening record shows that the family were living on King Lane, possibly at Southlands Farm.
The 1901 Census shows that Reginald was 5 years old, living at Southlands Farm on King Lane with his father (a domestic gardener), his mother, and his siblings William, Edith, Arthur and Margaret Victoria.