The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1085) Private John McAllister, 2nd Battalion AIF, 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 (1085) Private John McAllister, 2nd Battalion AIF, First World War.

1085 Private John McAllister, 2nd Battalion AIF
KIA 20 May 1915
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 2 October 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private John McAllister.

John McAllister was born in Carnoustie, Scotland, to John and Christina McAllister in 1893. Little is known of his early life, but he attended Glasgow High School and served as a territorial soldier for four years with the 5th Scottish Rifles. He immigrated to Australia in 1911 under the youth assistance migration scheme and settled in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, where he worked as a clerk.

Soon after the First World War began McAllister enlisted for service with the 2nd Battalion, AIF, and with his previous experience in the Scottish Territorials he was posted to the battalion’s machine-gun section.

He embarked with his unit from Sydney on 18 October aboard the transport ship Suffolk and arrived in Egypt in December. Several months of training in the desert followed before the AIF began moving to Lemnos in preparation for the landing on Gallipoli.

McAllister landed with his battalion during the day on 25 April 1915 and saw almost continuous front-line service over the following weeks.

In May Turkish troops launched a major attempt to drive the Australians back into the sea. McAllister and his battalion were heavily involved in stopping the attack, with the Turks suffering heavy casualties. The men of the 2nd Battalion were kept stood to during the night, with more attacks expected. Rifle fire from both sides was heavy and continuous throughout the night and into the next day. It was sometime in the early hours of 20 May that McAllister was shot and killed.

His body was buried in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. He was 22 years old.

Following the war the Imperial War Graves Commission asked next-of-kin to add epitaphs to the graves of their fallen soldiers. McAllister’s mother wrote:

TREAD SOFTLY ON
THE GREEN GRASS SOD
A MOTHER’S LOVE LIES HERE

McAllister’s 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 John McAllister, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.