The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (896) Corporal Robert Reginald H. Pittendrigh, 13th 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 Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (896) Corporal Robert Reginald H. Pittendrigh, 13th Battalion, First World War.

896 Corporal Robert Reginald H. Pittendrigh, 13th Battalion
DOW 29 August 1915
Photograph: P04909.024

Story delivered 2 June 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Robert Reginald Pittendrigh.

Bob Pittendrigh was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. He attended Newington College in Sydney, and became a compositor for the Molong Argus. After a trip to Wellington, New Zealand, Pittendrigh decided to enter the ministry of the Methodist Church. He returned to Sydney, studying and working at the Central Methodist Mission there. He was considered a theological student of “great thoroughness” and, after passing his examinations was ordained as a minister much earlier than usual.

Pittendrigh first went to Wilcannia and served the church there for 12 months. He then spent a year in Gloucester, New South Wales, where he oversaw the erection of the first Methodist church there. He then moved to Lithgow, and was an associate minister of the church there. Bob Pittendrigh was considered “an estimable young man and a general favourite with all who knew him” in each of these places. It was later reported that “Robert Pittendrigh practiced as well as preached – put his heel down on bigotry, and kept it there; [he] was a young Australian, with broad views and a big heart; [and he had] the stamp of a man who brightens that part of the world in which his lot is cast.”

On the outbreak of war, Bob Pittendrigh wanted to go to war as a chaplain, which was the reason for his enlistment on 7 September 1914. However, there were no vacant positions for chaplains at the time, so he went into training as a private. Ten days before he left Australia with the 13th Battalion, he married Miss Florence Ensor, who worked with the Central Methodist Mission. He then went to Egypt for a period of training, and from there to Gallipoli.

Little is known of Pittendrigh’s service on Gallipoli. A few days after the landing he was promoted to corporal, and it was rumoured that he was soon to get his coveted position of chaplain in a new formation. In August 1915 he was in the front line with Chaplain the Reverend Andrew Gillison, serving as a stretcher-bearer. The two heard a wounded man out in no man’s land, and could see him waving. Although they had been warned of snipers and knew that a Turkish machine gun was sometimes trained on that part of the trench, they tried to crawl out to the wounded man. Both were hit shortly afterwards. Gillison died shortly afterwards.

Pittendrigh managed to crawl back to the communication trench and was transferred to a hospital ship badly wounded with gunshot wounds to his buttocks from crawling. He died between Mudros and Gibraltar on the Hospital Ship Franconia, and was buried at sea at 4 pm on 30 August.

Several memorial services were held in honour of Corporal Pittendrigh in Methodist Churches around New South Wales, and each church was reported to be crowded to overflowing. He was remembered as a grand man whose greatest qualities were patriotism and self-sacrifice. His last act, it was said, was “just what might have been expected of Bob”.

Robert Pittendrigh was 32 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. His 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 Corporal Robert Reginald Pittendrigh, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section