The AIF Project

Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy.

The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is approached through the Military Cemetery, at the end of which is an open grass lawn which leads into a three-sided court. The two pavilions on the left and right are linked by the north and south walls to the back (east) wall, from which rises the focal point of the Memorial, a 105 foot tall tower, of fine ashlar. A staircase leads to an observation platform, 64 feet above the ground, from which further staircases lead to an observation room. This room contains a circular stone tablet with bronze pointers indicating the Somme villages whose names have become synonymous with battles of the Great War; other battle fields in France and Belgium in which Australians fought; and far beyond, Gallipoli and Canberra.

On the three walls, which are faced with Portland stone, are the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave. The 'blocking course' above them bears the names of the Australian Battle Honours.

After the war an appeal in Australia raised £22,700, of which £12,500 came from Victorian school children, with the request that the majority of the funds be used to build a new school in Villers-Bretonneux. The boys' school opened in May 1927, and contains an inscription stating that the school was the gift of Victorian schoolchildren, twelve hundred of whose fathers are buried in the Villers-Bretonneux cemetery, with the names of many more recorded on the Memorial. Villers-Bretonneux is now twinned with Robinvale, Victoria, which has in its main square a memorial to the links between the two towns.

War service: Egypt, Western Front

Taken on strength, 17th Bn, Egypt, 5 February 1916; transferred to Machine Gun Section, 10 February 1916; posted to C Company, 10 March 1916.

Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionry Force, 17 March 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 March 1916.

Transferred to 5th Brigade Machine Gun Company, 28 May 1916, and taken on strength, in the field.

Appointed Lance Corporal, 21 February 1917.

Appointed Acting Corporal, without pay, 16 April 1917.

Promoted Temporary Corporal, 20 April 1917.

Reported Missing in Action, 5 May 1917.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 4 February 1918, pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 5 May 1917'.

Note, Red Cross File No 1540904N: 'No trace Germany. Cert. by Capt. Mills 10.10.19.'

Statement, Red Cross File, 2530 Pte F.L. SNOWDON, 5th Machine Gun Company (patient, Richmond Military Hospital, England), 6 July 1917: 'Cpl. Lamond was in charge of my gun during the attack at Bullecourt on May 3rd, and was badly hit in the body at about 4 a.m., when we were about 35 yds. from the second German line. He had to be left where he was, about 10 yds. from me, when we retired, as he was too badly hurt to move. I was wounded myself and it was about 24 hours before I managed to crawl out. I had called out to him several times but could get no answer.'

Second statement by SNOWDON, 30 September 1917: 'On the 3.5.17 at Bullecourt I saw No. 2703 Cpl Lamond G.H. 5th M.G. Coy get wounded, he appeared to be badly wounded. I got wounded myself just after that and fell about 10 yards away from Cpl Lamond. I looked over a little later and he had disappeared. I called out his name several times and got no answer. I think that he either got hit with another piece of shell or died in a shell hole, because I was laying [sic] there for 25 hours and in that time I never saw him.'

Third statement, 2460 F.A. WILLIAMSON, 5th Machine Gun Company, 28 August 1917: 'Re [296] Ernie Pinches and L/Cpl. Lamond. They were both in my section and we went into action together. We charged at Bullecourt on the morning of May 3rd and both those boys were shot or wounded badly in the German's [sic] barbed wire. We could not get them out just then, and Pinches died the same morning. Lamond was badly wounded and left in a shell hole and if the stretcher bearers never came across him he died there. He could not have been taken prisoner because we held our ground, and the Germans were never in the locality afterwards.'

Third statement by SNOWDON (patient, 4th Australian General Hospital, Randwick), 9 January 1918: 'Just after we went over at Bullecourt on the 3rd May Lamond who was within 4 or 5 yards of me was hit by a machine gun bullet and fell very bardly wounded. He said to ne "They have got me pretty bad." I picked up a man named Pincher (sic) and was carrying himin when I was wounded myself. I looked back and could not see Lamond. I think he crawled into a shell hole.'

Fifth statement, 718 Pte W. FAULKNER, 5th Machine Gun Company (patient, 4th Australian General Hospital, Randwick), 14 April 1919: 'Informant states they both belonged to the 5th Machine Gun Co. On 5/5/17 the Battalion was holding a trench in the 2nd Hindenburg line. While standing just by his gun at dusk, a shell burst on the opposite bank, and caught 3 of the crew, including Lamond, and killed them outright. Informant was about 15 yards away in a bend of the trench, which prevented him from seeing Lamond hit, but he saw him about an hour later, when he was called upon to take over Lamond's gun. Lamond had previously been seen by Lieut. Bible, and was sitting dead near his gun when Informant saw him. After Informant was relieved that night, Lamond was buried where he was killed.'