The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX96) Captain Wilson Stewart, 6 Division Signals, Second 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 Jana Johnson, the story for this day was on (NX96) Captain Wilson Stewart, 6 Division Signals, Second World War.

NX96 Captain Wilson Stewart, 6 Division Signals
KIA 3 January 1941

Today we remember and pay tribute to Captain Wilson Stewart.

Wilson Stewart, commonly known as “Bill”, was born in Sydney on 19 April 1909, the youngest of three children of Henry and Marion Stewart.

He was educated at Waverley Public School and Sydney Boys’ High School. After matriculation he studied accounting while working for a large Sydney company. During this time he met Lucy Payens, a secretary in the same company. A relationship blossomed and Lucy and Bill were married in May 1935. In April 1937 their only son, Roderick, was born. Soon after, they bought a house on Harbour Street in Mosman.

As a young man Bill, a keen cricketer, played for Northern Districts Cricket Club. He was a fast bowler and received a number of awards. He was also a good rifle shot and took part in competitions, winning awards and trophies. He joined the Militia in 1929, initially serving as a signaller in a coastal artillery battery in the Sydney area. In 1933 he was given a commission and transferred to the 2nd Division signals.

Stewart was working as an accountant when the Second World War began and he immediately applied for a commission in the Second Australian Imperial Force. His low service number, NX96, testifies to his early acceptance into the army. He was gazetted as a lieutenant on 13 October 1939 and was posted to the 6th Division Signals Regiment.
Stewart embarked from Sydney on the 9th of January 1940 aboard the transport ship Otranto, bound for the Middle East. After disembarking at Egypt in mid-February, he was seconded to the 2/1st Field Regiment, but returned to his unit a week later.

At the end of April, Stewart and a section of signallers were attached to the 2/1st Field Regiment, which was then based at Qastina. The regiment began a move the following day to Bir Asluj where some 23 years earlier the light horse had ridden towards Beersheba. As the 2/1st Field Regiment began training in earnest for the fighting ahead, Stewart was promoted captain on the 11th of June and given command of J Troop, 6 Division Signals Regiment. He and J Troop returned to their unit later in the month.
Italy declared war on Britain in June 1940 and in September, an Italian force crossed from Libya into Egypt. The Italians were brought to a halt at Sidi Barrani and forced back into Libya.

As the Australian 6th Division began its move out of Palestine towards the Western Desert, Stewart sent what would be his final letter home. By December, the Australian 6th Division had concentrated around the Italian-held fortress at Bardia in Libya. A number of raids were conducted against the fortress in an attempt to force the Italian garrison to surrender or withdraw, but when it became evident that the Italians meant to stand and fight, plans were made to assault and capture the fortress.
During the night of 2/3 January 1941 Bill Stewart and other officers marked out the start line for the attack. In the early hours of 3 January, Steward was sharing a foxhole with Major Ian Campbell, the Brigade Major of 16 Brigade. They watched the preparatory bombardment, which began at 5.30 am.

Australian engineers blew gaps in the Italian defensive wire using Bangalore torpedoes, and then the Australian attack began. Stewart and Ian Campbell rose from their foxhole and joined the infantry in its advance.

The Australians immediately came under Italian rifle, machine-gun and mortar fire, and began taking casualties. After making his way through the wire, Bill Stewart stood up to continue his advance when he was hit. One of his men, Signaller Ken Clift, later wrote that his officer was hit in the left arm by three machine-gun rounds, which entered his chest and killed him instantly. Clift went to assist Stewart who was lying face down, and when he rolled Stewart over and checked for wounds, he noticed a small shrapnel wound in the officer’s forehead.

Bill Stewart had been highly respected and revered by his men, and they felt his loss keenly. He was 31 years old. The Australian 6th Division suffered 221 men killed that day, 19 of whom were officers. These men were the first of the Second AIF to be killed in combat in the Second World War.

On 14 January 1940, Lucy Stewart was hosting a morning tea for friends at her home in Mosman, when the telegram announcing her husband’s death arrived. One can only imagine the sense of utter devastation she must have felt on receiving the news.

Bill Stewart was initially buried at Bardia, but after the war the Bardia cemetery, along with a number of other outlying cemeteries, were consolidated into the Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Captain Wilson Stewart, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section