Forgotten vets remembered
Standing in the mud and misty rain at the Orange Cemetery last week, Lynn Germain was moved to tears at the sight of the simple white cross bearing the name of her great uncle and First World War veteran, William White.
Wearing his war medals, Lynn silently took in the sight, comforted by local researcher, Sharon Jameson, for whom this is the end of a five-year journey.
A keen family historian, Sharon was researching local servicemen ahead of the centenary of the First World War, when she discovered a number of veterans lying in unmarked graves in the Orange Cemetery. Some were foreign-born, some vagrants, others had taken their own lives, while more than half had spent years of their lives interned in Bloomfield Hospital, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or what was then termed “Shell Shock.”
Bringing it to the attention of the Orange RSL sub-branch, they have now ensured every one of these 92 veterans has a grave marker or memorial of some kind — most marked with a simple white cross, built for the RSL sub-branch by students from Canobolas Rural Technology High School.
Last Wednesday, locals and visitors braved the icy conditions to attend a special memorial service at the Orange Cemetery to finally honour these 92 previously forgotten veterans for their service to their country.
In attendance were: Orange Mayor, Councillor Jason Hamling; Federal Member for Calare, Mr Andrew Gee; State Member for Orange, Mr Phillip Donato; and Commanding Officer of the 1/19 RNSWR, Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Biddington, who all addressed the attending crowd.
“We come today to remember those who served our Country in World War I and who rest here in Orange,” Lt-Col Biddington said.
“We commemorate and honour their service to Australia, their selflessness, their sacrifice… time has not diminished the gratitude we feel and which we owe as a Nation.”
Following a similar format to Remembrance Day services, wreaths were laid in remembrance, and then students from Canobolas Rural Technology High School read aloud the names of the 92 veterans before a firing party from the 1/19 RNSWR gave a three-volley salute.
“I'm just so touched to be here,” Lynn Germain said, following the emotional service.
Lynn, who had travelled to Orange from her home in Melbourne for the occasion, had been unaware of what became of her great uncle William until she was contacted by Sharon Jameson last year.
Born in Bungowannah, near Albury, William White worked as a labourer before enlisting at 48 years of age, she said.
“He put his age on his enlistment paper as 35, he got away with it and went away to war.
“I had him recorded as buried in Orange, but I had no information about his history and even now we don't really know what became of him between him returning home from the War and his final resting place in Orange, it is sad,” Lynn said, adding that seeing his grave has made her more determined to find out more of William’s story.
“It's been very special and I am just truly honoured, we have travelled up from Melbourne and it was worth every minute!
“I'm really honoured and pleased to be here to represent William's family.”