The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC, 1 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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC, 1 Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC, 1st Battalion, AIF
DOW 11 August 1915
Photograph: G01028

Story delivered 14 November 2013

Today we remember and pay tribute to Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC.

Shout was born on 7 August 1881 in Wellington, New Zealand, to John and Agnes Shout. He was the eldest of nine children and the only boy.

In 1900 he joined a New Zealand Army Contingent bound for service in South Africa. Upon arrival in Cape Town, he joined the newly raised Border Horse unit. He saw extensive service with this unit and over the next year was promoted from private to sergeant. He was also wounded twice and Mentioned in Dispatches for leadership and bravery under fire. The unit disbanded in May 1901 and Shout went on to serve in several other South African units. When the war ended in 1902, he took his discharge and remained in South Africa.

He joined the South African Army in 1903 and served as a sergeant with the Prince Alfred's Own Cape Field Artillery. During this time, Shout met an Australian woman, Rose Alice Howe. They married in Cape Town in early 1905 and the couple's daughter was born in June that year.

The Shout family immigrated to Australia in 1907, settling in the Sydney suburb of Darlington. Shout found work as a carpenter and also joined the 29th Infantry Regiment, gaining a reputation for being a fine rifle shot and an excellent leader.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Shout applied for a commission in the AIF and was accepted as a second lieutenant into the 1st Battalion. In October 1914 he embarked with the battalion aboard the transport ship Afric and arrived in Egypt in December. There he was promoted to lieutenant.

The 1st Battalion went ashore as part of the second wave of troops to land on Gallipoli, and on 27 April Shout was involved in holding off determined Turkish counter-attacks at Walker's Ridge. Although wounded several times throughout the day he remained on duty and had to be forced to leave the battlefield. For his actions, he was awarded a Military Cross. He was wounded again in May and was Mentioned in Dispatches by General Sir Ian Hamilton. In July Shout was promoted to captain.

Shout was prominent in several attacks during the battle of Lone Pine. In the afternoon of 9 August, after an already successful morning, Shout and a small party of men attacked down a length of trench held by the Turks, forcing them to retreat. In the last rush, he lit three bombs and managed to throw two. The third exploded as it left his hand and shrapnel damaged his right hand and left eye. He was also wounded in the chest. He was still cheerful and encouraging his men as he was taken away from the front line.

Transported to the hospital ship Neuralia, Shout succumbed to his injuries on the 11th of August and was buried at sea. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Lone Pine.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on your left, along with around 60,000 others from the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.