Australia’s Most Decorated Military Chaplain Deserves Honour this Anzac Day

Celebrating the ANZAC spirit and honouring the lives of those who’ve served in our military is a poignant occasion in Australia. However, historian Daniel Reynaud says a key group of personnel are being overlooked.

As Emeritus Professor at Avondale University, Daniel Reynaud has spent years researching the ANZACs religion and spirituality and the chaplains that supported them on the frontlines.

In Sailor, Soldier, Vicar, Farmer Daniel shares the almost forgotten story of chaplain Walter Dexter, who became Australia’s most distinguished and highly decorated military chaplain ever. Of all the chaplains of the AIF, Walter had the longest frontline service, from the earliest appointments in 1914 until demobilisation in 1920, and was awarded seven medals for bravery and service.

“Walter is one of the striking figures [in ANZAC history],” Daniel told Hope 103.2.

“A chaplain whose work with the soldiers, and for the soldiers, was truly exceptional, with a fantastic influence.”

What makes Walter’s life unique is how varied it was and how much he fit into his 77 years.

“He was an English born sailor who sails the seven seas and then decides to go off and fight as a horseman in the Boer War in 1900,” Daniel said.

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“Then returns to sailing, feels a call to ministry, trains in England as an Anglican clergyman and then comes to Australia in 1910 and joins the Australian Imperial Force in World War I [before] becoming a father in his 40s.”

For Daniel, the decision to tell Walter’s story came from an awareness of how little acknowledgement we give to the Christian faith of many ANZACs, and the importance of chaplaincy personnel in the midst of war.

“The ANZAC legend pretty much excludes everything to do with faith or religion,” Daniel said.

“And that’s not a fair reflection of the actual ANZAC story.

“Some of the most exceptional ANZACs were men of faith and I think their story deserves a hearing too.”

As a chaplain at Gallipoli, Dexter’s ministry was deeply practical and compassionate.

“[Walter’s] routine work was caring for the wounded,” Daniel said.

“His years as a sea captain meant that he was a bit of a dab-hand in the medical line. He would help the doctors in the first aid posts, he’d carry stuff up to the trenches, he’d mix with the soldiers in small groups.

“Then there’s the exceptional stuff that he did: during the Battle of Lone Pine – where he’s in the recently captured Turkish trenches – he’s sorting the living from the dead.

“The bodies were stacked two and three deep. You had to walk on bodies to get from one place to the next. Horrific stuff.

“Up until that point, [men just] got buried just wherever, often where they fell.

“But Dexter went through with his navigational skills, and he actually mapped every grave on Gallipoli and then began a process of organising, tidying up and beautifying the cemeteries.

“That meant a lot to the soldiers. To have their dead mates honoured in that way was a very meaningful thing for him to do.”

This Anzac Day as we pause to reflect on the sacrifice and value of the ANZACs, Daniel’s hope is that we would consider people like Walter Dexter too.

“His legacy is exceptional and it deserves to be remembered,” Daniel said.

Daniel Reynaud’s book Sailor, Soldier, Vicar, Farmer is out now.

Listen to the full conversation with Daniel Reynaud in the player above.

Feature image: Canva Pro