The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2641) Private John Lavington, 9th 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 Greg Kimball, the story for this day was on (2641) Private John Lavington, 9th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

2641 Private John Lavington, 9th Battalion, AIF
KIA 23 July 1916
Story delivered 14 September 2018


Today we remember and pay tribute to Private John Lavington.

John Lavington was born in 1886 in Bega, New South Wales, to William and Julia Lavington. His father had run a boarding house in Bega, and when the First World War was declared was involved in oyster farming at Tathra.

John attended public school, and was a farm labourer before he enlisted in the AIF in April 1915 in Queensland. His brother, William Sexton Lavington, also enlisted in the AIF, serving in the 16th Battalion, and returning to Australia after being severely wounded in late 1917.

After beginning his training at the Enoggera camp in Queensland, John was posted to the 9th Battalion and left Australia for active service overseas on the 16th of August 1915. Private Lavington first went to Egypt, where he contracted measles and spent a month in hospital in Cairo.

In early 1915 the 9th Battalion returned to Egypt following the withdrawal from Gallipoli in December. As the AIF underwent a period of reorganisation and expansion, the 9th Battalion was split, with half going to form the experienced core of the 49th Battalion, and the now depleted battalion being made up to strength with reinforcements like Private Lavington,.

The battalion sailed for France in late March 1916 on the Cunard liner Saxonia. Having spent a day in Malta en route, the men disembarked at Marseilles in early April and were deployed to the “nursery sector” around Armentieres. This was a quieter part of the line where units new to the Western Front were sent to acquire the skills of trench warfare.

The battalion’s first major action in France was at Pozieres. The preparation for the attack involved a thorough bombardment of the village lasting several days. In the early hours of 23 July 1916, the 9th Battalion attacked. The men crept into no man’s land, close behind the bombardment, and as it lifted rushed a series of objectives. Although the operation as a whole was successful, the 9th Battalion met significant resistance from the Germans and suffered heavy casualties. One of those who failed to return was Private John Lavington.

An investigation into his fate revealed that Private Lavington was probably killed early in the attack, although reports differ. His mate Private Golder later wrote: “I am sorry to say he was buried in the field of Pozieres , without any distinction … as a soldier’s cemetery was too far away, and the dead too numerous to carry there.” John Lavington was 28 years old.

His gravesite was lost, and today he is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux alongside 10,500 Australians killed in France who have no known grave. He is also remembered in St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Bega.

His 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 Private John Lavington, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Duncan Beard
Editor, Military History Section