The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3121) Corporal William Edward McLeod, 53rd 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 Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (3121) Corporal William Edward McLeod, 53rd Battalion, First World War.

3121 Corporal William Edward McLeod, 53rd Battalion
KIA 19 July 1916
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 23 April 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal William Edward McLeod.

William McLeod was one of two sons of John and Elizabeth McLeod of Canterbury, New South Wales, to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War.

William was 28 years old when he left his position as a mechanic on the railways in August 1915 to join the 53rd Battalion. One month later his younger brother Hector enlisted in the 55th Battalion.

William was sent to Egypt for a period of training, during which he was promoted to Corporal. In May 1916 the 53rd Battalion was sent to France to fight on the Western Front. The first major operation of the battalion was near the French village of Fromelles.

On the evening of 19 July the battalion organised into four waves to charge the German trenches under cover of an artillery barrage. The 53rd Battalion managed to gain its objective trench and defend it against some stout counter-attacks overnight, but the failure in other parts of the line forced the 53rd to retire to its original line.

The overall operation was a disaster that cost thousands of Australian lives. The 53rd Battalion, while relatively successful, recorded around 600 men killed, wounded or missing at its conclusion. William McLeod was one of those posted as missing. Although his body was never found, it was determined that he must have been killed during the battle at Fromelles.

William's brother Hector also fought at Fromelles. As a part of the same operation, the 55th attacked the German lines and also gained some territory before losing it to counter-attacks. Like his elder brother, Hector was posted as missing at the conclusion of that operation. It was later discovered that he had been killed during the operation and hastily buried near a casualty clearing station.

The McLeod family never forgot their sons, killed within 12 hours of each other on the Western Front. They were commemorated for many years in newspaper notices, and played an important part in the way the McLeods remembered the war.

The names of William and Hector McLeod are 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 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 Corporal William Edward McLeod, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.