2nd Lieutenant David Martin Gillies, of South Brisbane, represented Queensland in Rugby Union many times during the 1900s. He served in World War I and was shot in the shoulder while leading his platoon in the unsuccessful push to take the summit of Sari Bair, Gallipoli, on 8 August 1915. He was one of five men missing after the charge. By unfortunate chance, the Brisbane Courier printed a letter on the day of his death in which he informed his brother of his promotion after spending a month in hospital with wounds. It concluded:

“My own wound has hardly left a mark, and I can tell you I am A1. Thanks for your soldierly advice, and you can rest assured we will do all our best for Australia and the Empire – the rest we must leave in God’s hands.”