The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1182) Private Clarence Cramer, 5th 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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (1182) Private Clarence Cramer, 5th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

1182 Private Clarence Cramer, 5th Battalion, AIF
DOW 15 December 1916
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 5 May 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Clarence Cramer.

Clarence Cramer was born in Myers Creek, near Bendigo, Victoria, to Mr and Mrs Roland Cramer. He attended the Roman Catholic school in Bendigo and went on to do a four-year apprenticeship with Mackay and Company, becoming a printer.

A month before his 19th birthday, and one month after the declaration of war, Clarence Cramer enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He was posted to the 5th Battalion and sent for overseas service. Private Cramer was with the battalion when they arrived at Anzac Cove and served there for several weeks.

On around 10 June 1915 Private Cramer was sitting with two friends having breakfast. Suddenly, a Turkish artillery shell landed in their midst, killing one of Cramer’s friends and wounding the other. Clarence was hit hard in the shoulder and rolled into a trench. He was not found for some time, and was reported missing. After being located he joined his friend Private Scott in hospital in Egypt.

Private Cramer suffered a series of illnesses while in Egypt and was eventually sent to England. He was just preparing to be sent back to the Gallipoli peninsula when it was evacuated. Instead, he was sent to re-join the AIF in Egypt for a period of further training. He would not re-join his battalion until July 1916 in Belgium.

Cramer served with the 5th Battalion throughout the fierce battles around Pozières and Mouquet Farm without incident. By December 1916 the fighting had quietened down for the winter, and the battalion was rotated in and out of the front line in a defensive role. Although much quieter than during the initial battles, the front line was still a
dangerous place. On 15 December 1916 an artillery shell landed in the 5th Battalion’s position, seriously wounding one soldier.

That soldier was Clarence Cramer. The concussion from the shell knocked him unconscious, and splinters from it severed his spine. He was taken to a nearby casualty clearing station but died without ever recovering consciousness. He was buried nearby on the same day. He was 21 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 Australians who died during 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 Private Clarence Cramer, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section