The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1244) Private Nathaniel Robert Abbott, 26th 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 Troy Clayton, the story for this day was on (1244) Private Nathaniel Robert Abbott, 26th Infantry Battalion, AIF, First World War.

1244 Private Nathaniel Robert Abbott, 26th Infantry Battalion, AIF
Died of wounds 10th August 1918


Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Nathaniel Robert Abbott.

Nathaniel Abbott was born in 1892 in Evandale, Tasmania, the son of coachbuilder George Abbott and his wife Jane. Nathaniel was one of nine children born into the family. He received his education at Tasmania State School, and at the outbreak of war in 1914 was working as a labourer in Hobart.

Abbot enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 May 1915, aged 22. He was assigned to the 26th Battalion with the rank of private, and embarked from Brisbane on board troopship Aeneas in June that year.

Abbot reached Egypt in September and joined his unit on the Gallipoli Peninsula in October. He had scarcely seen a week of service when he was wounded in action, requiring him to be evacuated. He re-joined his unit in Alexandria in March 1916 before embarking for France. He arrived on the Western Front in late July, where his unit was preparing for an attack near the French village of Pozieres. The German forces had a distinct advantage around the village, holding the high ground which enabled them to launch devastating attacks on advancing troops.

The offensive at Pozieres took place over 42 days, with Australians making as many as 19 separate attacks against German positions. Australian divisions succeeded in capturing Pozieres on 5 August but it was not without tremendous cost.

By the end of the battle, Allied casualties totalled a staggering 23,000 men captured, wounded or killed. During the fighting around Pozieres, Abbott was wounded a second time, sustaining injuries to his arms, hands and legs. He was sent to England where he spent a month recovering before being granted leave. Abbott spent more time training at the front, before re-joining his unit in Belgium in 1917.

The 26th’s operations were focused around the Ypres Sector in Belgium. When Abbott re-joined his unit, they were preparing to attack German positions around Menin Road. Troops were tasked with taking the high ground along the ridge which intersected with Menin Road. Advancing infantry were faced with well-entrenched German defensive positions including concrete bunkers and barbed wire. On the first day of the battle, Abbott was wounded for a third time as a result of shellfire, becoming one of 5,000 casualties sustained during that battle.

Abbott’s injuries were such that he was again sent to England to recover. He did not re-join his unit until April 1918, during the push against the German spring offensive. In August 1918, the 26th took part in the Battle of Amiens, where the allies intended to break through the Hindenburg line and turn the tide of the war.

The attack on German lines would make use of artillery, tanks, planes and infantry to overwhelm the enemy and break through their defences. In the early hours of the morning on 8 August 1918, allied planes dropped smoke bombs. This was followed with a relentless artillery barrage, under which troops and tanks advanced across no-mans-land. The enemy were taken by surprise and were quickly devastated by the offensive.

The 26th were attacking positions near Villers-Bretonneux when Private Abbott was wounded for a fourth time, shortly after going over the top. He had been hit by a shell and was wounded in the head, and in the legs. During the advance his comrades tried to assist their injured mate by moving him to a shell-hole and stabilising his leg with a splint made from a rifle. He was later rescued by stretcher bearers and taken to the 83rd General Hospital at Boulogne. Abbott remained in hospital for two days before succumbing to his wounds on the 10th of August 1918. He was 26 years old.

The following day, the allies achieved their objectives, drawing the offensive to a close. The combination of planes, tanks, infantry and artillery was so effective that the enemy’s front lines had been completely overrun in the first three hours of the battle. By the end of the offensive, the allies had taken more than 29,000 prisoners and had liberated 116 towns.

After his death, his bereft family remembered Nathaniel Abbott in the local newspaper, writing, “When peace reigns over the country side, our thanks shall be to the lads that died. Oh silent hearts, can they hear us tell? How peace was won by the men that fell.”

His 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 Nathaniel Robert Abbott, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meghan Adams
Researcher, Military History Section