The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3273) Private Hector John McLeod, 55th Battalion (Infantry), First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each 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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (3273) Private Hector John McLeod, 55th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

3273 Private Hector John McLeod, 55th Battalion
KIA 20 July 1916
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 28 September 2013

Today, we remember and pay tribute to Private Hector John McLeod.

Hector McLeod was one of two sons of John and Elizabeth McLeod of Canterbury, New South Wales, to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. His elder brother William had enlisted in the 53rd Battalion in August 1915 at the age of 28. One month later, Hector left the railway workshops where he worked as a plumber and joined the 17th Battalion at the age of 19.

After a period of training in Australia and overseas, Hector was transferred to the 55th Battalion and sent to France to fight on the Western Front. The first major operation of the 55th Battalion was the attack on the French village of Fromelles.

On the evening of the 19th of July, the battalion attacked the German lines and managed to gain its objective trench. Although it consolidated the position and defended it overnight, strong German counter-attacks combined with a lack of support on the flanks meant that the 55th Battalion was obliged to retire to its original lines the following day.

The overall operation was a disaster that cost thousands of Australian lives. The 55th Battalion, while relatively successful, recorded more than 300 men killed, wounded or missing at its conclusion. Hector McLeod was one of those posted missing. It took some time to establish his fate, but it was eventually discovered that he had been killed outright by an artillery shell during the advance. He was buried near Armentières.

William McLeod had also participated in the battle at Fromelles. Like his brother, he was posted missing at the end of the operation. Unlike Hector, however, his fate was
never determined and he is recorded as one of the hundreds of men killed at Fromelles with no known grave.

The McLeod family never forgot their sons, killed within 12 hours of each other on the Western Front. They were commemorated for many years in newspaper notices and played an important part in the way the McLeods remembered the war.

The names of Hector and William McLeod are 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 Private Hector John McLeod, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.