Place | Middle East: Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli |
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Accession Number | AWM2019.1.1.303 |
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 | 30 October 2019 |
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 (649) Private Edward Howard Spencer, 14th Battalion, 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 (649) Private Edward Howard Spencer, 14th Battalion, First World War.
Film order form649 Private Edward Howard Spencer, 14th Battalion
KIA 2 May 1915
Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Edward Howard Spencer.
Edward Spencer was born in 1885 to Maldon and Annie Spencer of Bendigo, Victoria. As a young man he went to work at the Stock and Station Journal, later moving on to work as a packer for Jones, Miller & Co. It was reported that he was “full of life and physical vigour” and that “employers and employees alike held him in great esteem”.
Edward Spencer enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914. He was posted to the 14th Battalion, and left for active service overseas on board the troopship Ulysses just before Christmas 1914. In Egypt he continued training in preparation for an assault on the Gallipoli peninsula.
The 14th Battalion sailed from Lemnos Harbour for Anzac Cove at around 9.30 am on 25 April 1915. Arriving offshore in the early evening, it was met with lighters filled with wounded coming alongside. Wounded men were squeezed on board throughout the night, with many of 14th Battalion staying awake to help.
The battalion began disembarking at mid-morning the day after the landing, coming ashore under fire throughout the day. They bivouacked that night on the beach and the next day began establishing a position around Quinn’s and Steele’s Posts on the heights above the beach. The situation on the peninsula remained precarious over the next week, with Ottoman troops attacking the Australian line in several places, including those held by the 14th Battalion. There was also the constant danger posed by snipers, and the battalion suffered casualties on quieter days as well as those during which they were attacked.
On 2 May 1915, Private Spencer was in the front line during a bout of heavy firing. He was in the act of firing his rifle at the enemy when he was struck by a rifle bullet. His commanding officer, Lieutenant Charles Giles wrote to Spencer’s parents to tell them what had happened: “death was instantaneous. His conduct during the engagement was excellent, and my regret is shared by all members of his company, by whom he was held in high esteem.”
Private Edward Spencer was buried near where he fell, and today lies in Courtney’s and Steele’s Post Cemetery under the words “the Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be his name”. Spencer was 19 years old.
His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 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 Edward Howard Spencer, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.
Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section
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Video of The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (649) Private Edward Howard Spencer, 14th Battalion, First World War. (video)