The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2646) Private David William Carman, 50th 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 (2646) Private David William Carman, 50th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

2646 Private David William Carman, 50th Battalion, AIF
KIA 25 April 1918
Photograph: P09291.295

Story delivered 31 October 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private David William Carman.

David Carman was the third son of David and Elizabeth Carman of Port Broughton, South Australia, born in 1898 in the small town of Keilli. He was educated at the Ward’s Hill Public School, and worked on the family farm. He was also an earnest Christian, active in the local Sunday School and a promising lay preacher in the local area.

David followed his brothers Roland and Clarence into the Australian Imperial Force. He enlisted after his 18th birthday in August 1916, with his parents’ consent. He was posted to reinforcements for the 50th Battalion, and after a period of training in Australia and England was sent for active service on the Western Front.

During this time both of his brothers were killed. Clement had gone missing near Flers in November 1916, and was later declared killed in action. Roland was killed during an attack on the Hindenburg Line in April 1917. Neither body was recovered, and the brothers are now commemorated on the Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.

Private David Carman joined his battalion in the trenches in August 1917. Within a month he was seriously wounded, after shell fragments struck him in the knee and face. He was taken to England for treatment, and did not re-join his battalion until 8 April 1918.

At 6 am on 24 April 1918, warned of an imminent German attack, the 50th Battalion was ordered to prepare to move from their billets at short notice. They advanced towards the French village of Villers-Bretonneux, and that evening launched a counter-attack against the German advance. The village was saved, but the 50th Battalion suffered heavily in the process, with more than 260 casualties.

One of those killed was Private David Carman. Little is known of the manner of his death, but his body was recovered and is buried in the Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension in France. He was the third of David and Elizabeth Carman’s three eligible sons to enlist, and the third to be killed. He was 19 years old.

The names of David, Roland, and Clement Carman are listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 Australians who died during 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 Private David William Carman, his brothers Private Roland Clarence Carman and Lance Corporal Clement Claude Carman, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section