| Accession Number | PAFU2013/029.01 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Film |
| Object type | Last Post film |
| Physical description | 16:9 |
| Maker |
Australian War Memorial |
| Place made | Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell |
| Date made | 2 September 2013 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1098) Sergeant Ernest Frederick Mayor, 13th Battalion (Infantry), First World War
Description
The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial every 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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (1098) Sergeant Ernest Frederick Mayo, 13th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.
Speech transcript
1098 Sergeant Ernest Frederick Mayo, 13th Battalion AIF
KIA 11 April 1917
Photograph: H05998
Story delivered 2 September 2013
Today we remember and pay tribute to Sergeant Ernest Frederick Mayo.
Born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, in 1888, Ernie Mayo was the grandson of a teenage convict who had been transported to Australia in 1839 and resettled in the Canberra region after earning his ticket of leave.
Mayo was 26 years old and working as a labourer when the First World War began. He was early to enlist, joining the 13th Battalion in October 1914.
The 13th Battalion was part of the 4th Brigade, which was commanded by Colonel John Monash. Mayo and the 13th Battalion landed on Gallipoli late in the afternoon of the 25th of April 1915. He was wounded twice in the first week, and after convalescing on Lemnos and in Egypt he returned to the peninsula in August, where he remained until the evacuation in December.
On the Western Front, Mayo fought at Pozières and Mouquet Farm before he was killed in action at the first battle of Bullecourt on the 11th of April 1917. Only a month later, during the second battle of Bullecourt, Mayo's older brother John, who had enlisted with the 54th Battalion in December 1915, was killed. They are commemorated together on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.
The name of Sergeant Ernie Mayo is listed on the Roll of Honour on your left, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War. The Mayo brothers' story is also featured in the Memorial's new exhibition Salute: Canberra's military heritage, which has been produced as part of this year's Centenary of Canberra celebrations.
This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Sergeant Ernest Frederick Mayo and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.