Victoria’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee once again honoured the role of Lemnos in Australia’s Anzac story at St Kilda’s historic cemetery last Saturday.

The commemoration took place as part of the annual commemorative service conducted by the City of Port Philip to honour the service of Australia’s first Victoria Cross winner, Albert Jack.

The event is always well attended, with various services; commemorative, parliamentary, community and family representatives taking part, with some 100 or so people coming together at the grave of Albert Jacka.
It was my honour to take part in the service by laying a wreath – assisted by Committee member Malcolm MacDonald – on behalf of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.

The Committee has taken part in this service for a number of years, in recognition of not only Albert’s service on the northern Aegean Island of Lemnos during his Gallipoli service but that of Staff Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence who also both served on Lemnos in 1915-16, who are also buried in this Cemetery. Committee member Malcolm MacDonald remarked on the fact that these soldiers and nurses were just ordinary men and women volunteering for service in an extraordinary time.

“They came from all walks of life – labourers and clerks, doctors and lawyer, nurses and school teachers, mechanics and cooks – and found themselves facing and meeting the challenge of war. In honouring their service, we recognize the role of all of those who served on Lemnos, at Gallipoli and indeed the whole First World War,” Malcolm said.

Ange Kenos, President of the Essendon RSL and a Committee member, expressed how important it was for members of Melbourne’s Hellenic community to take part in these services, not only to honour the military service of these individuals but to remind everyone of the Hellenic component of their service.

He urged Melbourne’s Hellenic community to attend future services.”Attendance at these events is a celebration of the multicultural cross-currents that bind our community together – through migration, the comradeship and terrible tragedies of war and in the building of new life in Australia. Recognizing the Hellenic connection to Anzac is an important part of this web of connections,” Ange said.

The annual Albert Jacka commemorative service is held at St Kilda Cemetery every year on the second Sunday of January. The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee takes part in this service and conducts its own service at the grave of Clarice and Ernest. These services are open to the public

Read more about Private Albert Jacka’s experience here: The life of Private Albert