Millicent Anzac honoured at Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will be commemorating the service and sacrifice of Millicent resident Private Edward John Mayell at the Last Post Ceremony on Saturday 19 October.

“Edward Mayell was born on 2 May 1894 in Millicent, South Australia,” Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson PSM said. “Known as ‘Jack’, he was one of seven children born to Edward Mayell Senior and his wife Annie.

“Jack received his education at the local public school, where he was a keen member of the cadets program. As a young adult, he volunteered in the Citizen’s Forces, and was working as a motor mechanic when the First World War broke out in 1914.

“Jack Mayell enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 9 March 1916. After periods of training in Australia and England, in October 1916, he joined the ranks of the 48th Battalion and began his journey to the Western Front.

“On 11 April 1917, Jack was among the thousands missing after allied units attacked German forces near the French village of Bullecourt. It was later determined Private Jack Mayell was killed in action during the attack. He was 22 years old,” Mr Anderson said.

The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas Day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.

Each ceremony shares the story behind one of 103,000 names on the Roll of Honour. To date, the Memorial has delivered more than 3,800 ceremonies, each featuring an individual story of service from colonial to recent conflicts. It would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.

“The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service,” Mr Anderson said.

“Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.

 “The Last Post is now associated with remembrance but originally it was a bugle call to sound the end of the day’s activities in the military. It is a fitting way to end each day at the Memorial.”

The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Private Edward John (Jack) Mayell will be live streamed to the Australian War Memorial’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.

The stories told at the Last Post Ceremony are researched and written by the Memorial’s military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.

HANDOUT image: www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2092055