The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (291) Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead, 23rd Australian Infantry 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 Craig Barelle, the story for this day was on (291) Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead, 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, First World War.

291 Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead, 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF
KIA 4 August 1916

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead.

Hugh Brinsmead was born in 1887 to Hugh and Mary Brinsmead of Bendigo, Victoria. Hugh grew up in a large family, with five brothers and three sisters, and was educated at the Marist Brothers’ College in Bendigo. When Hugh was 14 years old, he was swimming in a local dam with his younger brother Alfred, who was 11. They were half way across when Alfred got a cramp and started to sink. Hugh swam to his brother and held him up as long as he could, but was eventually forced to let him go or sink himself. Alfred could not be saved, despite the desperate efforts of onlookers.

Seven years later, Hugh’s father, who worked as a miner on the goldfields for 30 years, died of what was described as “a miner’s complaint”, leaving behind a widow with five sons and three daughters. After completing his education, Hugh went to Melbourne where he worked as a warehouseman for the Robur Tea Company.

Hugh Brinsmead enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1915. He underwent a period of training in Australia before leaving for active service overseas with the 23rd Battalion in May.

The 23rd Battalion arrived in Egypt in June, and spent several more weeks training in the desert before moving to Gallipoli to make up for the casualties incurred during the August offensives.

Private Hugh Brinsmead left for Gallipoli with the rest of his battalion on 30 August 1915, travelling on board the troopship Southland. On the second morning of the journey, as they were within sight of Mudros harbour, the men were packing their kits ready to disembark when the ship was struck by a German torpedo. Although the ship began to sink almost immediately, the men on board maintained order, and got the lifeboats loaded and into the water quickly. The rescuing ships found the water full of boats and men, many singing the popular song “Are We Downhearted?” An Australian overseas later wrote, “The gameness of these boys in the face of what looked like certain death was, to my mind, the most glorious Australian act of the seas.”

Private Brinsmead must have demonstrated his capability during the Southland sinking, as he was promoted to lance corporal that same day. Although he reached Gallipoli after the main fighting was over, it was still a dangerous place to be, and within a month he was badly wounded in the hand by a bomb.

He was evacuated to hospital in Malta, and did not re-join his battalion until March 1916.

By the time Brinsmead rejoined the 23rd Battalion it had been evacuated to Egypt, where the AIF underwent a period of training and expansion. On 26 March 1916 the men of the 23rd Battalion landed at France, and entrained for the front.

Lance Corporal Brinsmead first experienced trench warfare in April 1916, when the 23rd Battalion entered the front line in a quiet sector of the Western Front near Armentieres.
In mid-July the battalion was sent south to the Somme to take part in the vicious fighting around the French village of Pozieres.

On the evening of 4 August 1916 the 23rd Battalion took part in an operation to capture two strongly-held German trenches to the north-east of Pozieres. At least part of the battalion’s line came under heavy German machine-gun fire, and suffered heavy casualties while digging in.

Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead was one of more than 50 men of the 23rd Battalion to lose their life that day. Little is known of the manner of his death, although it is likely to be as the result of machine-gun fire during the attack. He was 27 years old.

Percy Bladen, Chaplain of the 23rd Battalion, wrote home to Hugh’s mother to say,

“He was a good and brave soldier and met his death in the fearless discharge of his duty. He was faithful unto death. It will help to comfort you in the coming days to remember that he gave his life for his King and country and the principles of righteousness and humanity for which we are fighting.”

In the confusion of battle, Hugh Brinsmead’s body was never recovered, and today he is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.

On the same memorial is the name of his younger brother, James, who was killed in November 1916 serving with the 57th Battalion.

Hugh Brinsmead’s 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 Lance Corporal Hugh Brinsmead, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.