A World War I veteran buried at Point Clare Cemetery has finally received the recognition he deserves.
For 64 years Private William Alexander Page had laid in an unmarked grave at the cemetery but a new headstone was unveiled in honour of the WWI Gallipoli veteran on September 15.
In April 2022, Page’s grandson Anthony Rodopoulos from Tasmania saw a TV segment on the work done by the Headstone Project, placing headstones on the unmarked graves of WWI soldiers in Tasmania.
Knowing his grandfather was in a similar situation in NSW, he contacted the Headstone Project and was directed to Forgotten Diggers in NSW.
From there, work began on the process of securing a headstone for Page.
He enlisted on February 12, 1915, and subsequently saw action at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, where he was severely wounded in 1917.
He was discharged from the Army in March 1918.
“We reviewed Mr Page’s military records and believed that he should qualify for an Official War Grave,” Founder of Forgotten Diggers John Thomas said.
“His military record contains a certificate stating that he had ‘served with honour and was disabled in the Great War’.
“Surely, we believed, this would warrant a Commonwealth War Grave.
“An application was lodged seeking Official Commemoration but this was rejected by the Office of Australian War Graves, as his cause of death was not deemed related to his military service.”
Following this rejection, Forgotten Diggers, working closely with Rodopoulos, began the process of delivering a private commemoration reflecting Page’s service to Australia in its time of need.
This involved the time-consuming process of negotiating with cemetery administrators to get permission for the design of the memorial, securing permission to use the Rising Sun logo and arranging a suitable commemorative bronze plaque.
With the health of Page’s daughter deteriorating there was an urgency in achieving the goal of his commemoration.
September 15 saw the headstone unveiled in the presence of his daughter and her family.
President of the Gosford RSL Sub Branch Greg Mawson was the Master of Ceremonies and was joined by Sub Branch Padre Derek Crawford, a delegation from the Sub Branch and John N. Thomas and his wife, Hazel.
Central Coast Town Crier Stephen Clarke played the Last Post and Reveille at the service.
A Tribute Poster, prepared by Pierre Seillier from France and commemorating Page’s service, was presented to the family.
Following the service, refreshments were provided by the Gosford RSL.
Source:
Gosford RSL