The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX36068) Private George Alexander Larkings, 2/13th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second 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 Gerard Pratt, the story for this day was on (NX36068) Private George Alexander Larkings, 2/13th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

NX36068 Private George Alexander Larkings, 2/13th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force
KIA 27 June 1941
No photograph in collection


Story delivered 27 June 2016
Today we pay tribute to Private George Alexander Larkings, who was killed on active service during the Second World War.

Born in Wangaratta, Victoria, on 30 March 1902, George Larkings was the son of Thomas and Annie Larkings. He worked as a farm hand in Junee, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force for service during the First World War in July 1918. Aged just 16 at the time of his enlistment, Larkings lied about his date of birth and claimed he was 18. He embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Boonah that October, but the war ended soon after and he returned home to Junee.

The Larkings family had a strong record of war service. Four of George’s brothers – William, Michael, John, and Thomas – also served in the First World War. William Larkings was awarded a Military Medal for his actions during the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917. Two half-brothers, Stanley and Robert, also served in the Second World War.

The Second World War broke out in September 1939, and on 18 June 1940 George Larkings enlisted once more at the age of 38.

During his initial training, Larkings was not known for meeting the military’s disciplinary standards, and on more than one occasion was charged for being absent without leave. After months of training in Australia, he embarked for overseas service in April 1941. On arriving in the Middle East he was posted as a reinforcement to the besieged fortress of Tobruk in Libya. There he joined the 2/13th Battalion.

Larkings had been with the battalion for only a matter of weeks when its position came under enemy fire on the night of 26 June 1941. Larkings was hit in the left leg, buttock, and right hand, and he died of his wounds the following day. He was buried in the British and Commonwealth Cemetery in Tobruk, Libya.

William Larkings was George’s next of kin and chose the following words for his headstone: “He died that others may live in freedom.”

Private George Larkings’s name is listed here on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 others who died while serving in the Second 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 George Alexander Larkings, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Dr Lachlan Grant
Historian, Military History Section