Their names are etched forever

beneath a statue’s feet,

or beside a lofty obelisk

on every main street.

They left their farms to fight,

young men who heard the call,

from offices and banks,

prepared to give their all.

Some fell in foreign fields,

in trenches far away,

while others maimed and struggling,   

relived their horrors every day.

The debt our nation owes them —

how can it be repaid?

Let us all remember them,

let not their honour fade.

A DAY LIKE NO OTHER by James Aitchison

Photo sent in by James Aitchison: “George William Aitchison (1873-1950) served with the NSW Volunteer Bushmen in the Boer War”

Teacher’s note: From the Boer War to Afghanistan, 103,101 men and women have died serving Australia.