The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3282) Private Alfred Victor de Rohan Momplhait, 32nd Battalion (Infantry), First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial every day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Troy Clayton the story for this day was on (3282) Private Alfred Victor de Rohan Momplhait, 32nd Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

3282 Private Alfred Victor de Rohan Momplhait, 32 Battalion, AIF
KIA: 19 July 1916
Photograph: H06484

Story delivered 19 July 2013

Today, we remember and pay tribute to Private Alfred Victor de Rohan Momplhait.

He was born at Alberton, Adelaide, on 14 January 1887 to Jean Baptiste Momplhait, a Mauritian who had settled in Adelaide, and Edith Helen Sawtell. Jean Baptiste died suddenly in 1895, leaving Edith to bring up a young family.

Alfred Momplhait grew up and was educated in the Port Adelaide district. He was well known in the area for his involvement with St. Paul's Church and for his all-round sporting prowess. He was working as a clerk for the British Imperial Oil Company at Birkenhead when the First World War began.

He enlisted for service with the 10th Battalion at Morphettville Racecourse on 17 June 1915. Following his initial training, he embarked for service overseas on the 27th of October aboard the transport ship Benalla. Upon arrival in Egypt, he was transferred to the 50th Battalion as part of the AIF's expansion to five divisions, before being transferred again to the 32nd Battalion.

After arriving in France, the 32nd fought in its first major action at Fromelles on 19 July 1916. The battalion had been in the front line for less than three days when the attack was launched. The 32nd Battalion advanced from its trenches at 5.53 in the afternoon, and briefly gained their objectives in the German lines a little over half an hour later. Alfred Momplhait was killed in the German trenches during the night and his body could not be recovered by his comrades, as the 32nd Battalion was forced to retreat by German counter-attacks. The battalion suffered 718 casualties, or almost 90 percent of the battalion s fighting strength. Alfred Momplhait's body was later recovered and identified by the Germans and buried in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood. Following the war he was commemorated on the memorial at VC Corner Australian Cemetery at Fromelles.

In 2008 a burial site was located at Pheasant Wood which contained the bodies of 250 Australian and British soldiers. Through a process of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information, Alfred Momplhait and 95 other Australians were identified and laid to rest, along with the unidentified remains, at the newly commissioned Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, which was officially dedicated on 19 July 2010. In all, 124 Australians have now been identified and are finally buried in an identified grave.


Alfred Momplhait's name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Alfred Victor de Rohan Momplhait, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.