Service Number: 486
Unit: 13th Battalion, E Company
Enlistment: 7/9/14
Embarkment: 22/12/14
Date of Death: 28/4/15
Location of Death: Anzac Cove
His Story
David Chestnut was born in Ryde and was the eldest son of James and Margaret Chestnut. A young man with a quiet demeanour, he worked as a carter before enlisting with the 13th Battalion, E Company, on 8 October 1914.
He embarked aboard the HMAT Ulysses A38 from Sydney in December, bound for Egypt. Chestnut reached Alexandria in early 1915, and from there, the 13th Battalion prepared to take part in the landing at Gallipoli. On 25 April 1915, David came ashore at Anzac Cove with the first wave, immediately facing steep cliffs, Turkish gunfire, and complete chaos.
He survived the initial landing, but in the early hours of 28 April, reports say he went to get a drink of water and never came back.
A fellow soldier later reported to the Red Cross:
“Chestnut shared a dug-out with me. About halfway through the night, he got up with full equipment on, saying he was going to get a drink. He was never seen again.”
— Pte H. B. Mann, 13th Battalion, D Company (Sporting Club Hospital, Heliopolis, Cairo)
At Gallipoli, collecting fresh water was no simple task. Water was in desperately short supply, and retrieving it often meant crossing open ground under enemy fire. Water parties were routinely targeted by Turkish snipers and artillery, making even a short trip to a supply point dangerous.
It’s likely that David was heading out to refill canteens for his Company and was killed in passage.
His parents received word weeks later: David was missing, believed killed in action. His body was never recovered.
Today, he is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial, alongside thousands of others with no known grave, and on the Ryde Public School Honour Roll. Though his service was brief, his sacrifice reflects the quiet bravery of so many young Australians.