The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3272) Private Charles Roy Knaust, 43rd 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 Andrew Smith, the story for this day was on (3272) Private Charles Roy Knaust, 43rd Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

3272 Private Charles Roy Knaust, 43rd Battalion
DOW 8 July 1917
No photograph in collection.

Story delivered 11 January 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Charles Roy Knaust.

Charles Knaust was born in Broken Hill, the second son of a long-time resident of the area. He married Gertrude, and moved to Adelaide a few years before the outbreak of the First World War. There he worked as a butcher, and was a trainer for the West Adelaide Football Club.

Knaust enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in March 1916 and left Australia with reinforcements to the 32nd Battalion. On his arrival to Codford Camp in England he was transferred to the 43rd Battalion and, after a period of training, was sent to France to fight on the Western Front.

Knaust was with the 43rd Battalion in the field from November 1916. During this time the battalion was actively involved in holding the front line, providing working parties in and immediately behind the front line, and training in the rear area. In June the battalion took part in the battle of Messines and remained in the area for some time providing working parties.

On 8 July, as a member of one of these front-line working parties, Charles Roy Knaust was hit in the back by a bullet, one of three men wounded from his battalion that day. He was taken to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station near Steenwerck, but he died later that day. He was 23 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War. There is no photograph in the Memorial's collection to display 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 Charles Roy Knaust, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.