The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX148969) Private Jack Harold Abnett, 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion, Second World War.

Places
Accession Number AWM2020.1.1.363
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 29 December 2020
Access Open
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
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.
Description

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 Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (NX148969) Private Jack Harold Abnett, 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion, Second World War.

Film order form
Speech transcript

NX148969 Private Jack Harold Abnett, 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion
Died of wounds 11 May 1945

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Jack Harold Abnett.

Jack Abnett was born on 5 August 1916, the son of William and Elizabeth Abnett of Orange, New South Wales.
He grew up in Orange, probably attended the local state school, and went on to work as an orchardist.

Abnett joined the local militia unit in January 1939, around nine months before the advent of the Second World War. After parading part-time with the 20th/54th Battalion, he was called up for full-time duty on 1 October 1941. By then the 20th and 54th Battalions had been delinked, and Abnett was transferred to the 54th battalion, known as the Lachlan–Macquarie Regiment.

As the 54th Battalion was a militia unit, and not part of the volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, it was not able to be sent overseas to fight.

In 1943 the battalion was gazetted as an AIF unit, which meant that it could be sent outside the South West Pacific Area. However, the battalion remained in Australia, undertaking garrison duties in New South Wales and Western Australia in order to defend against a possible invasion.

As the invasion never occurred, the battalion was disbanded in January 1944. By this point, Abnett, who had been promoted to corporal, had enlisted in the AIF while on garrison duty in Western Australia, doing so on 3 November 1942.

After extended leave in August and September 1943, Abnett returned to duty. He reverted to private as punishment for an episode of drunkenness in early November, and by January 1944 was on his way to Queensland.

With the 54th Battalion disbanded, Private Abnett transferred to the 2/4th Battalion in July. The battalion had been training in northern Queensland in anticipation of fighting the Japanese in the Pacific.

After being detached to work in an officers club for short period in August, on 14 October 1944 he embarked at Cairns on the American troopship Mexico, bound to join the fighting in New Guinea.

The 2/4th landed at New Guinea in early November 1944. Advancing along the coast, the men were involved in fighting around Matapau in late December 1944 and then around Abau and Malin in early January 1945. The operations mostly involved small-scale patrolling with small-scale company attacks.

American forces previously operating in New Guinea had believed the Japanese base at Wewak to be cut off, no longer of any real threat or particular strategic importance, and had bypassed it.

With Australians having taken over, and intelligence that the Japanese were retreating, the 2/4th Battalion attacked on the morning of 10 of May.

After an artillery barrage, troops supported by a troop of Matilda tanks from the 2/4th Armoured Regiment advanced onto Wewak point just after 6 am. The battle proceeded bunker by bunker. Japanese strongpoints were located in deep caves and had to be dealt with by tanks or flamethrowers, and some only fell at bayonet point.
Despite being weakened, the Japanese put up stiff resistance, resulting in brutal fighting.

Jack Abnett was admitted to field ambulance with a gunshot wound to the abdomen on 10 May 1945. His wounds proved to be mortal, and he died the following day.
He was 28 years old.

His remains were buried in the field near where he fell, but were later reburied in Lae War Cemetery, where they lie today under the inscription chosen by his grieving family: “Jack … dearly loved and missed by parents, brothers and sisters.”

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians 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 Jack Harold Abnett, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Duncan Beard
Editor, Military History Section

  • Video of The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX148969) Private Jack Harold Abnett, 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion, Second World War. (video)