The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2726) Driver Henry Blackmore, 47th 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 Troy Clayton, the story for this day was on (2726) Driver Henry Blackmore, 47th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

2726 Driver Henry Blackmore, 47th Battalion
Accidentally killed 12 April 1917
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 24 March 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Driver Henry Blackmore of the 47th Battalion.

Henry Blackmore was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, to William and Barbara Blackmore. His father abandoned the family when he was a boy, and Henry went on to become the sole support of his mother and siblings. Henry was a farmer in Tasmania on the outbreak of the First World War. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in June 1915 and left Australia for Egypt with reinforcements to the 15th Battalion.

Following the evacuation from Gallipoli, the AIF underwent a period of reorganisation and training, and as a part of this process Henry Blackmore was transferred to the 47th Battalion, joining them on their journey to France once out of hospital.

The first major action of the 47th Battalion was near the French village of Pozières and the nearby Mouquet Farm in August 1916 under a heavy and ongoing enemy artillery bombardment. Blackmore was one of a number of men who had to be evacuated suffering from shell shock, but he rejoined his battalion shortly afterwards.

Blackmore was considered "a fine soldier" and was "very popular" among those who knew him. Aside from a few days in hospital with tonsillitis in February 1917, he would not leave his battalion again.

In early April 1917 the 47th Battalion was in reserve for the assault on the French village of Bullecourt. The battle was visible from their headquarters, and they recorded seeing tanks moving slowly across the battlefield and infantry getting caught on the wire. Some men of the battalion were called in to support the attack; others formed fatigue parties to carry supplies up to the line and the wounded back down. Eventually, they were withdrawn to the sugar mill in Bapaume where they had left their packs, and there they rested overnight.

It was snowing heavily as they left the lines, and some men lit a fire near the sugar mill to warm themselves. Unfortunately, the fire sat on top of a buried artillery shell or bomb, which exploded in the heat. According to a witness, Driver Henry Blackmore was "knocked pretty well to pieces" and died instantly.

Blackmore was buried the following morning near where he was killed, but the place was not marked at the time. His grave was lost in subsequent fighting, and he
is now commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France. His father received a telegram about his son by accident, not even aware than he had enlisted.

The telegram spurred him to try to contact his long-lost family, saying, "I am glad my boy answered his country's call." Henry was sorely missed by his mother, who
had long been dependent on her eldest son.

His name is also 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 of Henry in the Memorial's 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 Driver Henry Blackmore, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.