At Anzac Day dawn services across our nation, and in personal moments of quiet reflection, every year we honour the service and sacrifice of those who have given their lives to defend Australia.
It is a day of mixed emotions – a time for sorrow, and a time for pride.
We mourn the loss of the more than 103,000 men and women who have died serving our country in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
And we admire the courage and mateship of those who landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and all those who came after, serving in Australia’s Navy, Army and Air Force.
Anzac Day is an opportunity to share the stories of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things; people who once walked the streets of the towns and cities we call home.
One such man is Lance Corporal Harold Kay. Originally from Yorkshire, England, he moved to Australia at the age of 18.
At the time of his enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916, Harold was living in Boolaroo and working as a plumber’s mate.
He sailed from Sydney with the 36th Battalion in May of that year.
After training in the UK, his battalion was sent to France to fight in the trenches of the Western Front.
Lance Corporal Harold Kay was killed in action on 12 October 1917 at Passchendaele in Belgium. He was 23 years old.
Back at home, his loved ones were left heartbroken.
His fiancée, Vida Oswald of Speers Point, shared her sorrow with a grieving community in a message published in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate.
Writing on the first anniversary of his death, she said of Harold: “As he lived, he died – nobly.”
A signet ring featuring a photograph of Lance Corporal Kay is held by the Australian War Memorial.
Tiny and treasured, measuring just 8mm across, it is one of the smallest individual portraits in the collection.
Today we remember Lance Corporal Harold Kay and all those who have lost their lives in service to Australia.
We owe them all an eternal debt of gratitude.
Lest we forget.