The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2124) Private William George Averkoff, 47th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, 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 Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (2124) Private William George Averkoff, 47th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, First World War.

2124 Private William George Averkoff, 47th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF
KIA 7 June 1917

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private William George Averkoff.

William Averkoff was born about 1897 in Vladivostok, in the far east of Russia, the eldest of seven children born to Sergei and Ann Averkoff.

In 1909, the Averkoff family migrated from Russia to Australia, eventually taking up residence in the Innisfail region of north Queensland. Averkoff was born with the Russian name Vassily Sergeevich, but after moving to Australia adopted the Anglicised first and middle names William George.

After his schooling, Averkoff assisted the family in the sugarcane industry, and trained and worked as a book binder in Mourilyan, south of Innisfail.

In March 1916 Averkoff travelled to Townsville, Queensland where he enlisted to serve in the Great War as part of the Australian Imperial Force.

Some records indicate that Averkoff was only 18 at the time of his enlistment, and lied about his age in order to serve. This was a common occurrence. Many thought the war could offer the adventure of a lifetime. However, Averkoff’s motivation may have been that his father died in an accident in 1915, leaving William as the breadwinner for his large family.

Averkoff began training with the reinforcements of the 47th Infantry Battalion, which formed part of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division. In August 1916 he set sail from Brisbane aboard the transport ship Boorara, bound for England. After two months training in England, he sailed for France and the war on the Western Front, joining the 47th Battalion as it was in reserve behind the lines at Mametz, north of the Somme River.

Averkoff and the 47th Battalion spent the next few months on the Western Front enduring one of the coldest winters in living memory. Averkoff had his first taste of a major battle on 11 April 1917 when he took part in the major attack on the heavily defended town of Bullecourt. Australia suffered terrible casualties in this battle: more than 4,000 men killed, wounded, or taken prisoner in a single day.
By June 1917, Averkoff and the 47th Battalion had moved from the trenches of the Somme to Belgium, where they took part in attacks on German lines near Ypres.

On 7 June, the battalion took part in the major British and Australian attack to capture German-held high ground near Messines, to the south of the Ypres salient.

The Australian and British advance was preceded by a week-long artillery bombardment of the German lines, followed by the detonation of a million pounds of explosives dug into mines underneath the Germans. The explosion devastated the German lines, and advancing Australian and British forces were able to take their objectives with relative ease.

Averkoff and the 47th Battalion did not take part in the initial early morning attack, but were deployed later in the day to press the advantage east of the German lines. When it joined the attack, the 47th Battalion faced heavy German rifle and machine-gun fire, a powerful German counterattack at 5pm, and friendly fire from misdirected Allied artillery.

Averkoff was killed in action in this battle, likely during the advance on the German lines or during the German counterattack.

He was one of 6,800 Australian casualties suffered in this single battle.

Today, his remains lie buried in the Messines Ridge British Cemetery, which commemorates more than 1,500 Commonwealth soldiers of the First World War.
Private William George Averkoff’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

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