An unassuming grave on the far south coast of NSW reveals a story of national significance.
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It is there, in Narooma Cemetery, where the commanding officer of the last party to leave Gallipoli lies.
The remarkable story of Cecil Rodwell Lucas is one of several uncovered through the mission of the local RSL sub-branch to restore servicemen's graves that have fallen into disrepair.
In gratitude, his family sent a dossier collated from the National Library of Australia's online resource Trove.
Born in Sydney in 1887, he attended Sydney Grammar School where he become known as Caesar because of his initials CR Lucas.
Following in the footsteps of his barrister father, he studied law and was appointed clerk/associate to Justice David Ferguson.
Many of the documents supplied were letters that Caesar and other soldiers wrote to the judge while they were serving overseas.
Caesar's letters stand out for his sense of duty, leadership and all-encompassing competence on and off the battlefield.
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Disembarked at Gallipoli in August 2015
At 5am, August 15, Caesar and the 17th Battalion with 32 officers and 941 other ranks arrived in Gallipoli.
He was promoted to temporary captain in October, at which time he wrote to Justice Ferguson about getting "a tremendous lot of amusement' from manufacturing 'dummy' bombs that caused "Jacky Turk to uselessly expend quite a lot of good ammunition".
According to the Battalion's history at 2.56am December 20, 1915 the final party of two officers and 21 other ranks under Captain Lucas evacuated Quinn's Post.
"Captain Lucas shook hands with his commanding officer then set a gramophone playing the piano march 'Turkish patrol' as a graceful compliment to a chivalrous foe".
Heavy action in France
He transferred to the 56th Battalion in March 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles three months later.
Two successful raids on the German trenches in September 2016 earned Caesar a mention in despatches for "gallantry and meritorious service".
His family summarised another set of documents that detailed the series of battles that forced the Germans to enter the Armistice.
"Those battles included Peronne in September 1918, for which Caesar returned as second-in-command of the 53rd Battalion and where he was wounded for a second time.
"That battle was described by the British Commander General Sir Henry Rawlinson, as 'perhaps the greatest military achievement of the war'.
"Caesar's 14th Brigade was in the thick of it."
After the war he tried dairy farming near Wingham.
Later, from the mid-1920s Caesar managed Ingledene, a property in southern ACT owned by his friend Colonel Simpson.
After Simpson sold in 1953, he moved to Narooma.
Ian Noormets, a member of Narooma RSL sub-branch and a Department of Veteran Affairs welfare officer, said he understood that Caesar ended his working life managing the caravan park in Narooma where Easts is now located.
Caesar died of natural causes in April 1962.
