The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price, 1st Battalion, 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 Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price, 1st Battalion, First World War.

Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price, 1st Battalion
DOW 4 May 1917
Photograph: P00267.005

Story delivered 24 December 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price.

Richmond Howell-Price was the youngest of five sons of Welshman the Reverend John Howell Price and his Australian-born wife, Isabel. He was educated at the Fort Street Public School in Sydney, and became a bank clerk. In December 1915 he left his job at the Coramba branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force.

Richmond spent a year serving in the light horse, refusing promotion. A year after first enlisting, which he spent largely in training camps, he transferred to the 1st Infantry Battalion and received a commission as a second lieutenant. He went to Egypt, and shortly afterwards to France to fight on the Western Front.

In April 1917 Howell-Price was a platoon commander in the 1st Battalion. His unit was assigned a role in an attack on the French village of Demicourt. Howell-Price demonstrated great ability as an infantry commander during the operation, deploying his men in a well-structured attack that materially assisted in the capture of the village. For this he was awarded the Military Cross. One month later, on 4 May 1917, he died of wounds received in action during the fighting at Bullecourt. He was just 21 years old.

Two more of his brothers were killed in the war. Owen Howell-Price was killed commanding the 3rd Battalion at Flers in November 1916; Philip Howell-Price was killed in October 1917 in Belgium. The remaining two Howell-Price brothers served in and survived the war.

Richmond Howell-Price’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with those of his brothers Owen and Philip, and more than 60,000 others from the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price, and all of those Australians who have
given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section