The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (7259) Private Alister Roy Lester, 4th 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 Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (7259) Private Alister Roy Lester, 4th Battalion, First World War.

7259 Private Alister Roy Lester, 4th Battalion
KIA 16 April 1918
Photograph supplied externally

Story delivered 27 May 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Alister Roy Lester.

Alister Lester was the son of Alice Lester of Mount Olive, New South Wales. He was born on the St Clair Aboriginal Mission, and was a member of the Wonnarua clan. Very little is known about his early life. Although he listed an “F. Lester” as his father, we cannot be sure that such a person existed; it could possibly refer instead to his uncle Fred. We do not know which school he attended, although he was probably educated on the mission, and it is sure that he signed his name with a confident hand.

Alister Lester was born in 1899 and he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 23 February 1917, following the example of Augustus Lester, also of Mount Olive and assumed to be his uncle. He was posted to the 4th Battalion and, after a period of training in Australia, was sent overseas for active service.

Private Lester arrived in Plymouth on 17 August 1917. He underwent further training in the Wylye Valley, Wiltshire, spending some time in hospital with minor illnesses. He finally joined his battalion on the Western Front in January 1918.

In early-to-mid-April 1918 the Germans launched Operation Georgette, attacking a number of positions, pushing the allied front line back a considerable distance. On 16 April 1918 the 4th Battalion was put into defensive positions on the front line near Strazeele, a French village not far from the Belgian border. The Germans laid down a heavy artillery bombardment and attacked the battalion to the left of the 4th, capturing the nearby village of Météren. To support that battalion, the 4th’s C Company advanced on a German trench. Although successful, the company encountered heavy machine-gun fire, and suffered more than 50 casualties.

Private Alister Lester was one of 20 men from C Company killed in action on 16 April 1918. His body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. He was 19 years old.

Augustus Lester also never returned to Mount Olive. He was killed on 23 August 1918 and, like his nephew, has no known grave. He was 23 years old.

The names of Alister and Augustus Lester are listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 Australians who died during the First World War. Alister’s photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Alister Roy Lester, Private Augustus Lester, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section