The subject of St. Alban, England's first martyr saint, was an appropriate choice to commemorate Lieutenant Olive's service to his country. The window was ordered by the Reverend AJ Drewett, and unveiled by the Dean of Melbourne in a dedication ceremony on 17 April 1917, almost a year after Olive was killed. The service included the choir singing 'Blessed are the Dead', a tribute to a former member of the choir. The window, a large fully-painted single light cost £70. It was the third window by Melbourne's leading stained glass artist, William Montgomery, to be installed in the north nave, the others being St. Mark (1913) and St. Stephen (1915).
William Major Olive was born on 25 August 1890 to Henry Thomas and Ella Ada Olive, "Surbiton", Studley Park, Kew. After an excellent studentship at Scotch College where he was a prefect and Senior Cadet, Olive completed an equally successful bachelor's degree in civil engineering but joined up before the conferring ceremony. He was one of four men whose loss was noted at the Commencement Day ceremony 1917: Olive; Edward Courtney Thomas MA; Eric Craven Jowett BE; Walter Alan Leckie BE.
William Olive joined the 5th Field Company Australian Engineers and proceeded to Alexandria in November 1915, then to Marseilles, disembarking on 23 March 1916. Precisely one month later Lieutenant Olive was killed by a shell explosion at Bois Grenier at midday on 23 April. He was buried at Erquinhem Communal Cemetery Extension, France.
References & Acknowledgements
AWM Roll of Honour; NAA: B2455, Olive William Major; Argus, 13 January 1910, p.7; 5 April 1917, p.8; 7 April 1917, p. 23 April 1917, p.5; Church of England Messenger, 20 April 1917, p.205; Folio 103, Montgomery ledger, William Montgomery Collection, State Library of Victoria.
With thanks to Paul Mishura, Scotch College Archives.
