 The town was named on 23 May 1878 for the then British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn.Beachport is the location of what are believed to be the first casualties of World War II on Australian soil.On 12 July 1941, a local fisherman discovered and towed to Beachport a German sea mine, laid either by the raider "Pinguin" or the minelayer "Passat".