The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3367) Private William Samuel Outlaw, 53rd 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 Troy Clayton, the story for this day was on (3367) Private William Samuel Outlaw, 53rd Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

3367 Private William Samuel Outlaw, 53rd Battalion
KIA 19 July 1916
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 7 November 2013

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private William Samuel Outlaw.

William Outlaw was born in Newtown, Sydney, the son of William and Blanche Outlaw. He attended Canterbury Public School and then began work as a carter for a grocery in the same district. He was also well acquainted with military service, having spent one year as a senior cadet and three years with the militia forces as a signaller. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915 and, after a period of training in Australia, was sent overseas with the 11th reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion.

Outlaw arrived in Egypt at a time when the AIF was undergoing a period of reorganisation and training following the evacuation of Gallipoli. As a part of this process, he was transferred to the 53rd Battalion and sent to France.

On 19 July the 53rd Battalion took part in their first major operation on the Western Front - the ill-fated attack on the French village of Fromelles. When the battle was over, the Australian 5th Division, of which the 53rd Battalion was a part, had suffered 5,533 casualties and could not fight again for many months. Even assessing the number of casualties took months, as many men were initially reported wounded or missing, and it was not known if they had been killed or were taken prisoner.

One of those men was Private William Outlaw. He was originally reported wounded and missing, having last been seen very badly hit and lying in the German trenches. He never appeared on the lists of prisoners coming from Germany, and it was eventually determined that he had been killed in action. He was 23.

William's father died in 1922, but his mother, sisters, and brother regularly put notices in the Sydney Morning Herald for many years to commemorate their son and brother who "shouldered his gun in honour's cause".

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 Private William Samuel Outlaw, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.