Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Hangard |
---|---|
Accession Number | PAFU2015/398.01 |
Collection type | Film |
Object type | Last Post film |
Physical description | 16:9 |
Maker |
Australian War Memorial |
Place made | Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell |
Date made | 28 September 2015 |
Access | Open |
Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial![]() |
Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (5564) Private Bertie William Cater, 20th 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 Charis May, the story for this day was on (5564) Private Bertie William Cater, 20th Battalion, AIF, First World War.
Film order form5564 Private Bertie William Cater, 20th Battalion, AIF
KIA 7 April 1918
Photograph: P08624.142
Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Bertie William Cater.
Bert Cater was born in 1892 in Newcastle, New South Wales. The son of Ephraim and Rose Cater, he was raised in Granville, Sydney, where he attended the William Street Public School. He went on to become a carpenter, and worked at the government workshops at the Clyde yards siding. He was a well-known footballer and cricketer in the local area, and was very popular at the local Methodist Church.
Cater enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in May 1916. He underwent a period of training in Australia before leaving Sydney in September 1916. He was sent to England for further training and joined the 20th Battalion in the battlefields of northern France in December.
Cater remained with his battalion throughout 1917. The battalion was involved in the follow-up of German forces after their retreat to the Hindenburg Line in the first half of the year, and later participated in the battles of Menin Road and Poelcappelle in Belgium. Cater came through each of these operations unscathed. He spent Christmas 1917 on leave in England before returning to his battalion the following January.
On 5 April 1918 the 20th Battalion entered the front line near Hangard Wood. As the men were relieving British units the Germans attacked and pushed their line back several hundred yards, and the men of the 20th Battalion were forced to counter-attack immediately to regain their front line. Two days later C Company attacked Hangard Wood, reaching their objectives. Heavy enemy counter-attacks forced the Australians into desperate fighting, and they were eventually withdrawn. Thirty men of the 20th Battalion were killed, and more than 50 were wounded.
One of those killed was Private Bert Cater. He was in a dug-out on the sunken road by Domart village, near Hangard. On the morning of 7 April 1918 an artillery shell landed in the dug-out, killing Cater and another man instantly. They were buried where they died, in an isolated grave on the side of the road.
That grave was later lost, and he is now commemorated on the memorial to the missing at Villers-Bretonneux.
Bert Cater was 26 years old. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among 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 Bertie William Cater, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.
Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section
-
Video of The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (5564) Private Bertie William Cater, 20th Battalion, AIF, First World War. (video)