The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1727) Corporal Edward William Thomas Hollingum, 27th Battalion, AIF, 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 Michael Kelly, the story for this day was on (1727) Corporal Edward William Thomas Hollingum, 27th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

1727 Corporal Edward William Thomas Hollingum, 27th Battalion, AIF
KIA 9 October 1917
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 15 February 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Edward William Thomas Hollingum, who died during the First World War.

Edward Hollingum was born in 1884 in Kent, England, the eldest son of Thomas and Alice Hollingum. Edward migrated to Australia at the age of 24 with his wife, Annie, and was working as an engine driver at the Port Adelaide power station when he enlisted in the AIF in May 1915.

Private Hollingum was assigned to the 2nd reinforcements to the 27th Battalion and left Adelaide in June 1915. He spent several months training in Egypt before being sent to Gallipoli in early September. Edward had missed the worst of the fighting on the peninsula, and he returned to Egypt in December. In early 1916 he suffered from a period of prolonged sickness, but in March he was well enough to travel to France and the Western Front.

The 27th Battalion’s first major engagement in France was at Pozières. From late July to early August 1916 Australian forces made multiple attempts to capture the ruined village from the Germans. The 2nd Division, which included Edward Hollingum’s battalion, attacked the village twice over a period of several days, and suffered over 6,800 casualties. Edward was one of them; hit by shrapnel in his left side. He was admitted to hospital in France, but his wound needed further treatment and he was sent to England for a prolonged hospital stay.

Edward re-joined his battalion in France in early December. In the New Year he was promoted to lance corporal, and then to corporal in June 1917. By September the 27th Battalion was involved in the fighting at Menin Road as part of the Third Battle of Ypres. The Australians of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were victorious, but sustained more than 5,000 casualties.

Nevertheless, the troops were soon back in action, this time at Broodseinde Ridge in early October where, after intense fighting, the Australians and New Zealanders again successfully took their objectives. Victory at Broodseinde encouraged the British planners to push further into the enemy front line. A few days later, on 9 October 1917, another attack was launched at Poelcappelle in heavy rain and muddy conditions, by exhausted men. The attack failed, and the 2nd Division lost some 1,250 wounded, missing, or killed.

Edward was one of those listed as killed in action. The exact particulars of his death are unknown, but his body was later discovered on the battlefield and reburied at the Passchendaele New British Cemetery, where he rests today.

Local newspapers reported Edward’s death, saying he was “highly respected” and had “a large circle of friends”. Extended family members placed “in memorium” notices in South Australian newspapers, and Edward’s widow and young son eventually returned to England.

Edward Hollingum’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour to my right, along with the names of more than 60,000 other Australians who died fighting in the First World War.
This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Corporal Edward William Thomas Hollingum, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Kate Ariotti
Historian, Military History Section