The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1603) Private Adolf Thompson Knable, 32nd 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. The story for this day was on (1603) Private Adolf Thompson Knable, 32nd Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

Note: There is no recording for this event

1603 Private Adolf Thompson Knable, 32nd Battalion
KIA 20 July 1916
Photograph: P07046.001

Story delivered 20 July 2013

Today, we remember and pay tribute to Private Adolf Thompson Knable.

Adolf Knable was born in Melbourne, the eldest son of Adolf and Alice Knable. His family moved to Western Australia and were living in Wellington Mill, near Bunbury, when Adolf enlisted. Before the war he had worked as a school teacher. Knable enlisted in the AIF in August 1915 and was posted into the 32nd Battalion.

The 32nd Battalion was sent to Egypt, where the evacuated force from Gallipoli was reorganising. Knable was promoted to corporal during this time, but at his own request he reverted back to private. The reason for his decision to shun rank is not recorded. The 32nd Battalion was sent to France in June 1916 and would participate in Australia's first major battle on the Western Front - the battle of Fromelles.

Although it was a major operation, this was in fact a feint, primarily intended to draw German troops away from the Somme offensive to the south. The attack went ahead at 6 pm on 19 July 1916. While small parts of the German position were captured, casualties were so heavy in most parts of the line that troops in these small advanced positions were forced to retire. The 5th Division suffered 5,533 casualties in the 14 hours of the battle and would be incapable of serious offensive action for many months.

One of those casualties was Private Adolf Knable. While details of his death are unclear, one report made by a soldier who fought at Fromelles stated that he saw Knable "wounded in the face and hip trying to crawl back into the trenches". At the time he was in no-man's land and, with extremely heavy fire coming from the German trenches, there was no hope of rescuing him.

In 2008 a series of mass graves was identified on the outskirts of Pheasant Wood, near Fromelles. Dug by the Germans in 1916, these graves held the remains of
Australian and British soldiers killed in the Fromelles fighting. A number of these men have been identified by DNA testing. It is likely that the remains of Adolf Knable are among those buried in the mass graves at Pheasant Wood.

There was no such information for Adolf Knable's mother. In vain she tried to find information about the location of his grave, intending to make the long journey to visit it. However, she never achieved that comfort, and the final resting place of Adolf Knable is still officially unknown.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War, and his photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

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