On 15 December 1915 the Prime Minister of Australia, William Hughes, put out a Call to Arms to the young men of Australia to play their part in "this greatest war of all times".
Neil Neilson of 39 Mt Alexander Rd, Flemington, driver, answered that call. He was a fairly slight figure, one of eleven children, but he responded to Hughes' appeal and enlisted on 4 January 1916, just a few weeks after the appeal was made.
Rod Martin tells the story of a fairly troublesome young man who managed to overcome his difficulties with the army and became a reliable member of 15 Battery, 5 Field Artillery Brigade as
Gunner Neil Robert Neilson. Neilson died after a gas attack, on 8 June 1918.
