29 April 2025
On Anzac Day in northern France, Leading Seaman Robert Hilton stood with Australia’s Federation Guard (AFG) and performed ceremonious duties at key memorials across the Western Front.
AFG’s mission is to represent the ADF at official commemorative events, performing mounting catafalque parties, supporting wreath-laying ceremonies and maintaining a dignified presence at sites of national significance.
“It’s humbling – being here reminds me that service runs deep in my family, and I’m proud to carry that forward,” Leading Seaman Hilton said.
Hailing from the quiet coastal town of Callala Bay, New South Wales, Leading Seaman Hilton grew up in a home shaped by service.
His parents served in the Royal Australian Navy, and their stories of commitments, resilience and pride left a lasting impression.
But it’s the story of his great-great-grand-uncle Private Alfred William Farragher that brought this year’s Anzac Day into sharp focus.
'To me, Anzac Day means commemorating the lives of those who served and valuing the sacrifices they made.'
Private Farragher was deployed to France in 1916 with the First Infantry Battalion. Like so many others of his generation, he never returned.
He died in 1917, his final resting place not far from where his great-great-grand-nephew stood in remembrance.
More than a century later, Leading Seaman Hilton honours that sacrifice not only in words, but in action – through polished drill movements, silent vigils and movements of reflection.
“To me, Anzac Day means commemorating the lives of those who served and valuing the sacrifices they made,” he said.
In the stillness of dawn services and beneath the shadow of century-old memories, AFG’s presence is a living connection between past and present.
For Leading Seaman Hilton, each movement and command is a tribute to history and heritage.
As the sun rises over the scarred battlefields and solemn memorials of northern France, Leading Seaman Hilton knows he is walking in the footsteps of those who came before.
One sailor among many, carrying a legacy of service into a new generation.
