The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3846) Private Donald Stewart McAuslan, 46th Battalion (Infantry), 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 (3846) Private Donald Stewart McAuslan, 46th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

3846 Private Donald Stewart McAuslan, 46th Battalion
KIA 14 November 1916
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 14 January 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Donald Stewart McAuslan.

Don McAuslan was the second son of Mr and Mrs McAuslan of Williamstown in inner Melbourne. He and his family were part of the community of ex-pats from Wales involved in the Welsh Church near Williamstown and Newport. More than thirty of their young men went to war, while the women at home formed the Gwalia Comforts Committee that was responsible for knitting hundreds of pairs of socks and other items for men at the front.

McAuslan enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915 at the age of 23 with his brother Jock. However, they were sent overseas with different units, Donald going with the 12th reinforcements to the 14th Battalion. At this time the AIF was undergoing a period of reorganisation as a result of the influx of volunteers. This process saw McAuslan transferred to the 46th Battalion, with which he would serve the rest of his time in the war.

While in Egypt Jock McAuslan became seriously ill with appendicitis, and this, combined with a heart condition, caused him to be invalided back to Australia. Don went on to France and the Western Front.

The 46th Battalion first experienced front-line conditions in the trenches around the French village of Poziéres, under some of the heaviest shellfire of the war. Later in the year the battalion moved to the village of Flers, taking over the front line from the 12th Battalion. The trenches they moved into were badly damaged by recent heavy rains, and the men set to improving them under intermittent shell-fire.

Early in the morning of 14 November Don McAuslan was sitting in a trench with a number of other men when a heavy explosive shell came over and killed at least seven men. McAuslan was thrown out of the trench by the blast, and was killed instantly. He and the others who were killed were buried together nearby. Don's good mate Private Coffey was among the burial party, and later recalled, "It broke my heart the morning he was killed ... I [had] been his mate so long."

After the war the Welsh Church in Williamstown welcomed home their returning soldiers with a night of celebration. At the same time they remembered their four members who had been killed in war, including Don McAuslan. The chairman of the Gwalia Comforts Committee spoke at length of their brave deeds during the war and offered his sympathy to the mourning relatives. This was a comfort to the McAuslan family, who took pride in Don's willingness to do his duty.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War. There is no photograph in the collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Donald Stewart McAuslan, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.