The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3253) Corporal George Robert Dennis, 7th (Medium) Trench Mortar Battery Australian Field Artillery, 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 Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (3253) Corporal George Robert Dennis, 7th (Medium) Trench Mortar Battery Australian Field Artillery, First World War.

3253 Corporal George Robert Dennis, 7th Medium Trench Mortar Battery Australian Field Artillery
DOW 22 April 1918
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 2 August 2013

Today, we remember and pay tribute to Corporal George Robert Dennis.

George Dennis was born at Clare in rural South Australia, but moved to Adelaide as a young boy and was brought up near the suburb of Unley. He was an active member of the Unley Church of Christ, and a keen participant in the various sporting clubs run by the church, in particular the football team. His other keen interest was cadet drill and rifle shooting.

On the outbreak of the First World War he left his job as a plumber to enter what was known as the home military service, working at the Torrens Island Internment Camp. This camp housed up to 400 men of German nationality, or of descent identified as potential spy threats during the war. However, Dennis soon sought a more active role in the conflict and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915, aged 20.

Dennis left Australia with infantry reinforcements in October 1915. When he reached Egypt he became ill with meningitis and spent some time in hospital there. On his release, he transferred to the artillery. Here he served as a driver for a divisional artillery column, but he soon gained a posting as a gunner in a heavy trench mortar battery. He spent a number of years serving in different capacities in heavy and medium trench mortar batteries, and participated in fighting at Messines Ridge, Hollebeke, Ypres, Zonnebeke, Passchendaele and Bullecourt.

He reported to his family that he had many "hairsbreadth escapes" during his time, but remained unwounded until April 1918. In this month the German Army broke out of their trench lines and pushed the Allied line back almost to breaking point. During this outbreak, George Dennis was shot in the legs and chest. Although he received assistance, he was dead on arrival at the nearby Canadian Stationary Hospital in Doullens.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 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 Corporal George Robert Dennis, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.