The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2420) Trooper Kenrick Cory Riley, 6th Light Horse Regiment 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 Mathew Rose, the story for this day was on (2420) Trooper Kenrick Cory Riley, 6th Light Horse Regiment First World War.

2420 Trooper Kenrick Cory Riley, 6th Light Horse Regiment
KIA 27 March 1918
Photograph: P05032.001

Story delivered on 23 May 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Trooper Kenrick Riley.

Kenrick Cory Riley was born in 1892 in Brewarrina, New South Wales, to Alick and Louisa Riley. He grew up in the area and attended Newington College at Stanmore. After leaving school he worked on his family’s property as a station hand.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Riley enlisted at Liverpool on 27 January 1916. After some initial training, he was allotted to the 16th reinforcements to the 6th Light Horse Regiment. He embarked with other reinforcements from Sydney on 3 May aboard the transport ship Hymettus, bound for Egypt.

After arriving in Egypt, Riley spent several months training before being sent to join the 6th Light Horse Regiment in early October.

At this time, the Australians were involved in patrol work. However, this changed in early 1917 when the allied advance into Palestine came to a halt in front of the Ottoman fortress town of Gaza.

The 6th Light Horse was involved in unsuccessful attempts to capture Gaza in March and April, and then spent the following months on operations to outflank it.

On the 21st of August, Riley transferred to the 1st Light Car Patrol, then at Marakeb, where he was reunited with his older brother. Riley was involved in reconnaissance work as his unit scouted ahead of the main advance.

After being hospitalised with malaria in late October, Riley missed the battle of Beersheba. He returned to his unit in mid-November, a week after the fall of Gaza.

When Ottoman forces began withdrawing from Palestine, the Australians were involved in the pursuit. The 1st Light Car Patrol took part in operations which saw Jerusalem fall to the allies in December.

Riley transferred back to the 6th Light Horse Regiment in early February 1918. Following a feint attack on Amman in late February, the 6th Light Horse Regiment was involved in operations nearby over the next month.

On 27 March, the 6th Light Horse Regiment was involved in an attack on the railway station at Amman. During the fighting, Riley’s troop sergeant, Lionel Loveband, was wounded in the head, falling in an exposed position.

Without thought for his own safety, Riley ran out and recovered the wounded man. He was returning to cover with the sergeant over his shoulders when he was shot and killed instantly.

He was 26 years old.

Loveband was retrieved by others, but sadly, his wound was mortal and he died shortly after. Riley and Loveband were buried the following day in a nearby wadi. After the war, were reinterred in the Damascus Commonwealth War Cemetery.

Kenrick Riley’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 Australians who died while serving in 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 Trooper Kenrick Cory

Riley, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section