The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will commemorate the service and sacrifice of Trundle resident Private Henry Robert McKnight Gault at the Last Post Ceremony on Friday 30 May 2025.
"Henry Robert Gault was born on 7 February 1915 in Condobolin, NSW. Known as 'Bob', he was the second son of John and Elizabeth Ada Gault of Trundle," Australian War Memorial historian Craig Tibbitts said. "He came from a very close and loving family with five siblings, Mabel, Jack, Ethel, Elizabeth, and Jean."
"As young men, Jack and Bob grew up on the family farm at Trundle before taking up timber milling and starting a roving sawmill business together."
Bob Gault enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Sydney on 13 June 1940, and was posted to the Australian Army Service Corps. In November, he was transferred to the 8th Division's No. 1 Company, then stationed at Dubbo.
On 2 February 1941, Gault travelled with his unit to Malaya. After Singapore fell to Japanese forces on 15 February 1942, he was sent to Sandakan in July, where Allied prisoners of war began building an airstrip.
Weakened by malnourishment and harsh conditions, Private Bob Gault is believed to have died of malaria at Sandakan on 27 April 1945. He was 30 years old.
All told, some 2,428 British and Australian prisoners of war died at Sandakan, or on the death marches to Ranau. Only six Australians survived the marches.
The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas Day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.
Each ceremony shares the story behind one of 103,000 names on the Roll of Honour. To date, the Memorial has delivered more than 4,100 ceremonies, each featuring an individual story of service from colonial to recent conflicts. It would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.
"The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service," Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.
"Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.
"The Last Post is now associated with remembrance but originally it was a bugle call to sound the end of the day's activities in the military. It is a fitting way to end each day at the Memorial."
The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Private Henry Robert McKnight Gault will be live streamed to the Australian War Memorial's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.
The stories told at the Last Post Ceremony are researched and written by the Memorial's military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.
HANDOUT images:
www.awm.gov.au/collection/C318810
www.awm.gov.au/collection/C334021
