LOST MEN OF TWO WARS

Image: Letter to Private Lazenby’s wife, describing the manner in which he died.

The Cambridge Memorial Oval in the Hobart suburb of Cambridge has a set of memorial gates at its entrance. The gates are dedicated to the memory of Ian and Michael Maxwell who lost their lives in the Second World War. They bear the inscription:

“To the Memory of those who gave service from
the district of Cambridge. Lest We Forget”

A generation earlier, Private Robert James Lazenby of Cambridge enlisted in 1916 to serve in the Great War. He fought on the Western Front with the 15th Australian Machine Gun Company. He was shot in the arm, chest and head and later died of injuries in Number 13 General Hospital.

The Cambridge Volunteer Fire Brigade received a grant of $10,900 from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to develop the Memorial site at the Oval during the Anzac Centenary. The Brigade’s efforts have ensured the sacrifice of Private Lazenby and all who served from Cambridge are remembered.