The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Lieutenant Colonel Allan Humphrey Scott DSO, 56th 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 Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on Lieutenant Colonel Allan Humphrey Scott DSO, 56th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

Lieutenant Colonel Allan Humphrey Scott DSO, 56th Battalion, AIF
KIA 1 October 1917
Photograph: P02317.010

Story delivered 26 May 2016

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Allan Humphrey Scott.

Allan Scott was born on 3 April 1891 in Tumut, New South Wales. His father, Donald, was the English-born bank manager of the Tumut branch of the Commercial Banking Company, and the family later moved to the Sydney branch. Allan’s mother, Maria, was the sister of Chief Justice Sir Philip Street.

Scott attended the Sydney Preparatory School and Sydney Grammar School, proving himself “not only a splendid and well-known athlete, but an exceptionally popular one too”. He excelled at hurdling and held the state’s amateur high jump record, sharing the Australasian record with a jump of six feet. After leaving school he worked as a clerk at Dagety and Company and became a commissioned officer in the local Militia.

Scott was granted a commission in the Australian Imperial Force shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914. He was posted to the 4th Battalion, and was appointed second in command of D Company. Captain Scott landed on Gallipoli with the first wave on 25 April 1915. Such was his success that “Scott’s Point”, one of the furthest spots reached on that first day, was named after him.

At the battle of Lone Pine in August Scott was at the forefront of the action, at one point holding on to an exposed position until wounded men could be removed. Later, having been forced to retire as a result of a heavy bombing attack, he led a bayonet charge to retake and hold a position in the face of enemy machine-gun fire. His conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty saw him awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Three days later he was promoted.

Wounded three times during his service on Gallipoli, by the time of the evacuation Scott was acting as major, and commanded the last 30 men of the 4th Battalion to leave the trenches.

As part of the 1916 reorganisation of the AIF in Egypt, Scott was promoted to lieutenant colonel and put in command of the 56th Battalion at the age of just 24. From Egypt he took his battalion to France to fight on the Western Front.

The 56th Battalion’s first major operation on the Western Front was in support at Fromelles in July 1916. Although men from the battalion were called forward during the attack, they were ordered not to leave the front line, and as a result were spared the crushing casualties suffered by other battalions of the 5th Division. Scott continued to lead his battalion with distinction into 1917, and on a number of occasions assumed temporary command of the 14th Brigade. He was Mentioned in Despatches for his excellent conduct and courage on three separate occasions.

In late September the 56th Battalion participated in the battle of Polygon Wood. The attack was a success, but by the end of the month the men were exhausted and taken out of the line. Lieutenant Colonel Scott remained behind to complete the handover to the incoming Royal Welsh Fusiliers. On the morning of 1 October 1917, while talking to a British officer, Scott was struck by a sniper’s bullet and died instantly. He was buried in the nearby Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood.

Lieutenant Colonel Allan Scott was 26 years old. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 others from the First World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection. Scott is standing on the left, with Captain Anderson to the right.

This is just one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lieutenant Colonel Allan Humphrey Scott, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Peter Hunter