The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (4115) Private Bertie Gregson, 24th 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 Michael Kelly, the story for this day was on (4115) Private Bertie Gregson, 24th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

4115 Private Bertie Gregson, 24th Battalion
DOW 7 August 1916
Photograph DA14409

Story delivered 29 July 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Bertie Gregson.

Bertie Gregson was born in 1886 and was one of 11 children of Charles and Elizabeth Gregson of Wycheproof in north western Victoria. Known to his family and friends as “Bert”, Gregson attended the local state school before starting an apprenticeship as a printer at the Wycheproof Ensign. Afterwards, he worked at Minyip, Sea Lake, and Swan Hill, and met Christina Cameron with whom he had a son, Norman, in 1910.

Gregson unsuccessfully tried to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in Mildura towards the end of 1915, but was rejected because of his bad teeth and varicose veins. He tried again in Melbourne following medical treatment and was accepted, entering camp at the Royal Park Showgrounds to train as a reinforcement for the 24th Battalion.

While on home leave in Swan Hill in January 1916, Gregson married Christina, and a daughter, Margaret, was conceived. After returned to Melbourne, he continued his training at Broadmeadows camp before sailing for England in March 1916.

After further training on the Salisbury Plain near Wiltshire, Gregson sailed for the Western Front in July 1916. He joined the 24th Battalion at Pozières in early August while it was engaged in bitter fighting for the O.G. Lines – a formidable German stronghold east of Pozières village. After three days of bloody fighting, the O.G. Lines were in Australian hands, at the cost of several thousand casualties. The 24th had suffered close to 250 men killed, missing, and wounded.

Gregson had only been with the battalion for three days before he was mortally wounded in the head, most likely by a fragment from a German artillery shell. He was evacuated to the casualty clearance sation at nearby Puchevillers, but his wounds were too serious, and he died later that day. He was buried at the Puchevillers British Cemetery. A small epitaph by his grieving wife Christina simply reads: “Rest in Peace”.

He was 31 years old.

Gregson was well known within the wider Horsham district, and his death shocked the rural communities where he lived and worked. In Minyip, the local newspaper stated that Gregson was “greatly respected by a very large circle of friends” and reported that flags at the fire station and local businesses were flown at half-mast in his honour.

We do know, however, that his daughter Margaret was born three months after the fighting at Pozières, and thus, never met her beloved father.
Bert Gregson 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. His photograph is displayed 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 Bertie Gregson, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Aaron Pegram
Historian, Military History Section