The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Lieutenant Felix Hereward Gordon Norfolk Heritage, 10th 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 Charis May, the story for this day was on Lieutenant Felix Hereward Gordon Norfolk Heritage, 10th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

Lieutenant Felix Hereward Gordon Norfolk Heritage, 10th Battalion
KIA 20 September, 1917
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 7 December 2013

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Felix Hereward Gordon Norfolk Heritage.

Born at Mount Pleasant, South Australia, on 3 April 1886, Heritage was educated at Wesley College in Melbourne, joining the Commercial Bank there before transferring to Adelaide. He was prominent in the cadets and the Adelaide Rifles, where he proved himself a capable soldier. At six-feet-one inch tall and 98 kilograms he was an imposing figure, and these attributes combined with his outgoing personality made him a natural leader.

Heritage was one of the first men in South Australia to enlist for service with the 10th Battalion at Morphettville on 19 August 1914. With his previous military experience he was promoted to pioneer sergeant and taken on strength of the battalion headquarters staff.

He embarked with the 10th Battalion from Outer Harbour in October aboard the transport ship Ascanius. During the voyage to Egypt, the Ascanius and another transport ship, Shropshire, were involved in a collision at sea. During the evacuation drill, Heritage, refusing to drown in his pyjamas, returned to his room and put on his best uniform before making his way up on deck. In the end, the damaged ships were still sea-worthy and proceeded to Egypt.

The men of the 10th Battalion were amongst the first ashore at Gallipoli and Heritage was prominent in organising men and leading them forward to the fighting. He was commissioned to second lieutenant only days later and to lieutenant in August.

Heritage contracted enteric fever on Gallipoli in September, which forced him to be evacuated to Egypt. As his condition did not respond to treatment, he was sent to Australia in early January 1916 to assist his recovery. He stayed only three weeks before being declared fit again, and sailed with the next group of reinforcements for the 10th Battalion, rejoining them in France in late October 1916. Following the winter of 1916-17, he was hospitalised in England with influenza in March 1917, returning to the battalion on his recovery in May.

The 10th Battalion moved to Belgium in July to take part in the Third Ypres Campaign and on 20 September went into action at Polygon Wood. It was during a period of consolidation on one of the objectives that Heritage was killed by German artillery. His body was not recovered and following the war, he was commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres.

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 Lieutenant Felix Hereward Gordon Norfolk Heritage, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.