Remembering Pozières: 110 Years On

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On Sunday 19 July 2026, our community gathered at Uniting Heart and Soul in Woollahra to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Pozières.

It was a deeply moving service of remembrance, bringing together members of our congregation, representatives of the Royal New South Wales Regiment, The Scots College Cadets and Pipes, Pastor Richard La’Brooy, Newington College Chaplain, invited guests, families and members of the wider community.

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In the presence of Major General the Honourable Justice Paul Brereton AM, RFD, SC, the service honoured the Australians who served at Pozières and remembered all whose lives have been lost, wounded or forever changed by war.

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At the heart of the service was the Pozières Cross, a tangible connection between our church and the battlefield where so many endured unimaginable loss. Standing beneath it, the congregation paused to remember those who answered the call to serve, those who did not return home and the families and communities who carried their absence.

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The reading of the names, the Ode, the Last Post, the silence and the lament offered space for sorrow, gratitude and reflection. Yet remembrance is not only about looking back. It also asks something of us today.

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As people of faith, we remember the past while continuing to pray and work for a world in which peace is stronger than violence, reconciliation is stronger than vengeance, and hope is never abandoned. We honour sacrifice most meaningfully when we value the freedoms entrusted to us and use them in the service of justice, compassion and peace.

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The words shared during the Act of Remembrance captured the heart of the morning:

We stand still to weep, to pray, to hope and to remember.

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We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this significant service, including our ministers and worship team, Pastor Richard La’Brooy, the representatives and members of the 1st/19th Battalion RNSWR, the 1/19 RNSWR Association, The Scots College, our musicians, readers, volunteers and all those who joined us.

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The photographs below offer a record of this year’s commemoration and of a community gathered together in remembrance. We share them so that those who were unable to attend, those with a personal connection to Pozières and those seeking to understand its continuing significance may also pause, reflect and remember.

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*Photography credit: Photographs by Soon Kim. Used with permission.