At 11 o’clock this Tuesday, 11 November 2025, communities across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston will stop for one minute of silence.
It’s a simple act — quiet, powerful, and deeply personal — to remember those who served, those who never came home, and the families who carried on without them.
A moment of silence
The minute’s silence marks the exact moment the guns fell quiet on the Western Front in 1918, bringing an end to the First World War.
Across Australia, people will pause — in classrooms, offices, parks and kitchens — to reflect.
Here on the Peninsula, that moment connects generations: a shared act of gratitude for the peace that was hard-won more than a century ago.
The Peninsula’s first shot in the war
The Mornington Peninsula played an unexpected role in the very first hours of the war.
On 5 August 1914, Sergeant John Purdue of the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery fired what became known as the first shot of the British Empire in the conflict.
From Fort Nepean at Port Phillip Heads, his gun fired across the bow of the German ship SS Pfalz as it tried to leave Melbourne Harbour.
That single round tied our coastline to a global war that would claim millions of lives and change the course of history.
Annie Sage – a nurse ahead of her time
Among the Mornington Peninsula’s most respected wartime figures was Annie Moriah Sage, a pioneering nurse and midwife from Somerville.
Born in 1895, she served in the Australian Army Nursing Service during the First World War, caring for injured soldiers in field hospitals across Europe.
Her dedication to nursing and later reforms in community health would see her recognised nationally — and remembered locally as one of the Peninsula’s quiet heroes.
The Annie Sage Centre in Somerville now bears her name, continuing her legacy of service and care.
A Frankston-born leader
Frankston also shares a direct link to Australia’s wartime story through Lieutenant General Sir Vernon Sturdee, born in the town in 1890.
He served as an engineer at Gallipoli and later on the Western Front, before rising through the ranks to become Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War.
While his later career brought him national prominence, his service began with the first volunteers of 1914 — including many from his own home region.
Frankston’s Avenue of Honour
Frankston’s Avenue of Honour remains one of the city’s most meaningful landmarks.
Planted on 13 July 1918, the avenue originally featured 144 gum trees — each representing a local who had enlisted.
The first tree was for Private Arthur Ernest Bolger, the first soldier from the district to die in the war.
Although the original trees are long gone, new plantings and plaques now stand in Beauty Park, keeping those names alive for future generations.
Why local remembrance matters
The stories of Purdue, Sage, Sturdee, and Bolger remind us that the impact of war reached far beyond the battlefields.
Every honour roll, every memorial and every family name etched in bronze is part of our region’s shared history.
Taking a minute at 11 am isn’t just about the past — it’s about remembering who we are and what we value as a community.
Local WWI service names and memorials
The Mornington Peninsula and Frankston region contributed hundreds of men and women to the Great War. Here are some of the names still recorded in local rolls and archives.
Notable connections
- Sergeant John Purdue – Fort Nepean; fired the first shot of WWI for the British Empire on 5 August 1914.
- Annie Moriah Sage – Somerville; Army nurse and community health pioneer.
- Lieutenant General Sir Vernon Sturdee, engineer at Gallipoli and later on the Western Front, before he become Chief of the General Staff in the Second World War.
- Private Arthur Ernest Bolger – 14th Infantry Battalion; first Frankston soldier to fall, honoured in the Avenue of Honour.
- Lieutenant Grice – Frankston; tree planted by the Governor during the 1918 Avenue of Honour ceremony.
- Private E. McComb – Frankston; commemorated in the Avenue of Honour.
- Noel Travers Edgeworth Somers – Mornington; killed at Gallipoli in 1915.
- Gervase Louis Somers – Mornington; killed in France in 1918.
- Neville Essex Edgeworth de Firmont Somers – Mornington; served with the 1st Light Horse Ambulance and returned.
- Sister Somers – Mornington; served as a nurse in Egypt during the war.
Full nominal rolls are available through the Frankston RSL, Mornington RSL and the Somerville & Tyabb District Heritage Society.
