The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (469) Private William Lewis, 30th 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 Mathew Rose, the story for this day was on (469) Private William Lewis, 30th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

469 Private William Lewis, 30th Battalion, AIF
DOD 30 April 1917

Story delivered on 22 May 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private William Lewis.

William Lewis was born in 1894 to John and Ethel Lewis of Adamstown, New South Wales. His father deserted the family while he was a young boy, and his mother raised her children alone, divorcing John in 1902. William – popularly known as “Pug” – went to work early, undertaking a six-year apprenticeship to become a plumber. He and his brother Oswald were keen boxers, taking part in a number of local tournaments.

William Lewis enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915, followed by his brother in September. Both were posted to the 30th Battalion, with William leaving Australia for active service overseas first. Records are unclear as to when Private Lewis joined his battalion in the field in France, but it is likely that he was at Fromelles in July 1916. During the battle the 30th Battalion played a secondary role, providing carrying parties for supplies and ammunition, before being drawn into the vicious fighting.

Both William and Oswald remained with the 30th Battalion during the bitterly cold winter of 1916 and 1917. Australian battalions rotated in and out of the front line in what was one of the harshest winters on record. In late November, Oswald was evacuated to hospital with severe trench foot in both feet. His feet were amputated the day before Christmas 1917, and he was sent home with artificial feet made for him in England. Oswald received a hero’s welcome, and the people of Adamstown raised enough money to present him with a pony and sulky to make sure he could get around.

A little over two months after Oswald’s operation to remove his feet, William was evacuated to hospital. He was also suffering the effects of life in the freezing trenches, contracting a bad case of bronchitis which
developed into pneumonia, and was sent to hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Although he seemed to be improving for a time, in late April 1917 he died of broncho-pneumonia. He was buried in the Stratford-sub-Castle Church Cemetery near Old Sarum.

His mother chose the following inscription for his grave:

Greater love hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends.

Her son had died at the age of 23.

William Lewis’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 Australians who died while serving in 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 William Lewis, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section