He acted as a stretcher-bearer after Mr Harvey was wounded in the fight. 

Mr Harvey, also from Culcairn, gave Mr McNuff his watch, in case he did not make it. 

That watch is still in Culcairn today, with Mr McNuff’s son, Leo. 

A new board honouring fallen soldiers from World War I was unveiled by Leo during the service in the town on Saturday. 

Alongside it were other new boards recognising soldiers from Morven, a small village near Culcairn, and national servicemen. 

The boards were created after the RSL received a $1500 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Leo said his father rarely spoke about the war, but distinctly remembers him saying conditions in France were far worse than Gallipoli. 

“It’s a real honour to be able to be here,” Leo said.

He is the longest serving member at the Culcairn RSL, racking up more than 60 years, and his uncle also fought alongside his father in World War I. 

“Anzac Day means a great deal to me,” he said.

“I think about my father and uncle and what they did – what they all did.”

A book was also launched at the weekend, recording the stories of the 107 soldiers listed on the town’s honour board. 

RSL Women’s Auxiliary secretary Margaret Gardiner said they now had a permanent record. 

“We need to recognise them in some way for all they did,” she said. 

Mrs Gardiner said half of the soldiers in the book were in the 20 to 25 age bracket. 

“The oldest soldier was over 40 and many said they were 18 but they could have even been younger than that,” she said. 

Billabong High School students read the names of the fallen soldiers and Emily Pinnuck, 16, laid a poppy for each one, spelling the words Lest We Forget. 

As hundreds of people fell silent for the service rain started to pour, but Emily said that made her war reflection deeper. 

“It makes you think what it was like when it was raining and the soldiers hiding in the trenches,” she said. 

“You try to think about how hard it was for them and how they must have felt.”

PHOTOS: Anzac Day commemorations, Border and North East

PHOTOS: Thousands brave the rain for Anzac Day dawn services

Albury: Anzac Day not about victory, but spirit passed on to a young nation

Albury: Agony and joy as veterans try their luck at two-up

Albury: Kittyhawk fighters not the only bolt from the blue

Albury: 'I think of my lost mates'

Albury: Shunning long forgotten as Vietnam veteran marches with puffed chest

Bethanga: That fear is a 'feeling we will never know'

Boree Creek: Small crowd shows big respect for Anzac sacrifice

Corowa: Rain-drenched poppies 'resemble tears of nature'

Corowa: Corowa's youth determined to keep Anzac spirit alive

Culcairn: Story of bravery, courage and mateship hidden in Leo's watch

Wangaratta: Horrors of the Western Front remind all of ultimate sacrifice

Wangaratta: Navy cook proud but still questioning 'why?'

Wangaratta: Thunder, storms threaten yet Wangaratta's Anzac crowds swell

Wodonga: We don't need family ties to remember, says next generation

Wodonga: Marching alongside granddad a proud moment for Arcus children

Yackandandah: Cuss brothers march together for the first time since World War II

Walla: Women of war must not be forgotten