The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (4793) Private Andrew Halvorsen, 50th Battalion (Infantry), 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 Craig Blanch, the story for this day was on (4793) Private Andrew Halvorsen, 50th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

**Due to technical issues this recording is of poor quality and not for public display.**

4793 Private Andrew Halvorsen, 50th Battalion
KIA 23 February 1917
Photograph: P06944.001

Story delivered 23 October 2013

Today, we remember and pay tribute to Private Andrew Halvorsen.

Andy Halvorsen was born in Port Pirie and was working as a labourer at the Proprietary Works there at the outbreak of war. He was married to Bertha and had two children: a daughter, Thelma, and a son, Woolford. He enlisted in the AIF in November 1915 and left for Egypt with reinforcements to the 10th Battalion the following March. He was later transferred to the 50th Battalion, and would serve with them on the Western Front.

The 50th Battalion first fought in France in August 1916 near the French village of Pozières, but just a few weeks after entering the trenches, Halvorsen was forced to seek medical treatment for his knee. He had seriously injured it two years earlier, and had had ongoing problems with the scar. After the harsh conditions of trench life it had ulcerated, and he spent many months recovering in hospitals in France and England.

Halvorsen finally rejoined the 50th Battalion at the front in early 1917. At that time the battalion was being rotated in and out of the front line to defend it in one of the harshest winters seen on the Somme for some time. In many respects that winter "was a case of live and let live", with both sides trying to survive the extreme cold. However, the front was still a dangerous place, with active snipers and ongoing artillery fire.

Halvorsen was on the Lewis Gun team of B Company. On the 23rd of February, the afternoon before they were to be relieved, he was with the team in a trench in front of the French village of Flers. A German shell came over and landed in the middle of the position, killing Private Andy Halvorsen and three others instantly. Halvorsen and his comrades Lance Corporal Pitt and privates Angrave and Larwood were buried behind the lines later that night in a single grave.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War, and his photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Andrew Halvorsen, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.