The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (762) Second Lieutenant Albert Norman Rae, 10th 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 Charis May, the story for this day was on (762) Second Lieutenant Albert Norman Rae, 10th Battalion, First World War.

762 Second Lieutenant Albert Norman Rae, 10th Battalion, AIF
KIA: 9 October, 1917
Photograph: P05056.001

Story delivered 21 February 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Second Lieutenant Albert Norman Rae, whose photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

Rae was born at Kilkenny, South Australia, on 7 March 1896, the last of seven children born to William and Sophia Rae, two of whom had died as infants. Following a short illness, William passed away in 1896, aged 34, leaving Sophia to raise their surviving children.

Rae was working as a driver in the Kilkenny region when the First World War began. He was among the first men in South Australia to volunteer for service with the AIF at Morphettville Racecourse, where the 10th Battalion was forming. He was given the regimental number 762 and posted to E Company as a private. He was 19, and his mother signed her consent for his enlistment.

He embarked with the 10th Battalion from Outer Harbour in October aboard the transport ship Ascanius, arriving in Egypt in December. Following several months of training, the 10th Battalion sailed to Lemnos in March 1915 in preparation for the landings on Gallipoli.

Rae went ashore at ANZAC Cove on the morning of 25 April 1915, and in the days after wrote a lively account of his experiences. At the start of June he was evacuated to Egypt suffering from influenza. He re-joined the battalion at the end of August and remained on Gallipoli until the withdrawal in December. The 10th Battalion arrived back in Egypt in late December, after which followed a period of reorganisation and reinforcement.

The battalion sailed for France and the Western Front in March 1916. After several stints in the front line at the Nursery Sector near Armentières the men of the 10th took part in their first major battle at Pozières. During the fighting, Rae was wounded in the thigh and buttocks by shrapnel. On recovery he returned to the battalion in October and was promoted to corporal soon after. A further promotion to sergeant followed in early 1917.

The 10th Battalion suffered heavy losses in the fighting on the Menin Road, and Rae was promoted to second lieutenant in early October 1917. A week later, the battalion was back in the front line opposite Celtic Wood.

Early in the morning of 9 October Rae was involved in a raid on Celtic Wood. The raid proved disastrous for the already depleted 10th Battalion: of the 88 men involved, 36 were killed, including Rae. His body was recovered near Celtic Wood in September 1919 and was laid to rest in Tyne Cot Cemetery.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Second Lieutenant Albert Norman Rae, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.