The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (4019) Lance Corporal John Charles Ernest Riseley, 47th Battalion, 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 (4019) Lance Corporal John Charles Ernest Riseley, 47th Battalion, First World War.

4019 Lance Corporal John Charles Ernest Riseley, 47th Battalion
DOW 13 April 1917
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 13 April 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lance Corporal John Charles Ernest Riseley.

John Riseley was born in Shipwright's Point, Tasmania, to John and Jane Mary Riseley. In 1907 he had married Alice May McNally, and by the time war broke out in Europe they had four sons: John, Harold, Henry, and Cyril. In August 1915 John left his job as a saw-miller and joined the Australian Imperial Force. He was sent to Egypt with the 12th reinforcements to the 12th Battalion.

Riseley arrived in Egypt as the AIF was undergoing a period of reorganisation and extended training following the evacuation from Gallipoli. As a part of this process he was transferred to the 47th Battalion and eventually sent to France to fight on the Western Front.

The first major action of the 47th Battalion was near the French village of Pozières and the nearby Mouquet Farm in August 1916. Here they relieved the 48th Battalion in the front line under a heavy enemy artillery bombardment, suffering considerable casualties. The bombardment continued throughout the battalion's time in the line, and the day after arriving Riseley was one of a number of men who had to be evacuated suffering from shell shock. He rejoined his unit a week later.

At the end of August Riseley was evacuated once more; this time he was shot, and forced to spend several weeks recovering in hospital.

Riseley proved an able soldier, and in early 1917, shortly after his return to the battalion, he was promoted to lance corporal, serving as acting corporal when needed.

In early April 1917 the 47th Battalion was in reserve for the assault on the French village of Bullecourt. From headquarters some of the 47th could see tanks moving slowly across the battlefield and infantry getting caught on the wire. Some men of the battalion were called in to support the attack; others formed fatigue parties to carry supplies up to the line and the wounded back down. Finally, they were withdrawn to the sugar mill in Bapaume, and there they rested overnight.

It was snowing heavily as they left the lines, and some men lit a fire near the sugar mill to warm themselves. Unfortunately, the fire had been lit on top of a buried artillery shell, which exploded in the heat, killing one man and seriously wounding Corporal Riseley. He was carried to the 45th Casualty Clearing Station where, although conscious enough to dictate messages to his wife, he died a short time later.

John Riseley was buried in the cemetery at Achiet-le-Grand. He was remembered by his wife and children as "one of God's brightest and best", and by his sisters and nieces as one whose name was "often spoken of in the home [he] died to save".

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 Lance Corporal John Charles Ernest Riseley, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.