Nineteen year old Percy was one of the first from the Shire to enlist after volunteer recruiting began in Australia enlisting on 10 August 2014. He was allocated to the 8^th Infantry Battalion embarking from Melbourne on board HMAT Benalla on 19 October 1914. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December. Percy spent most the entire trip in hospital with piles and later in isolation because of measles. Percy took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915, as part of the second wave. Ten days after the landing, the 2nd Brigade was transferred from ANZAC to Cape Helles to help in the attack on the village of Krithia. The attack captured little ground but cost the brigade almost a third of its strength. Percy was one of the casualties of this campaign, he was killed in action on 2 May 1915.

LEST WE FORGET – ANZAC DAY

Today we commemorate the ‘Landing at Gallipoli’ when 24 servicemen from the Surf Coast Shire went ashore at the Gallipoli Peninsula. They fought the soldiers of the Ottoman Army, mainly up on the ridges well beyond the beaches. The first group ashore landed at dawn; they were the so-called ‘covering force’ whose task was to drive the Turkish defenders into the hills. These men were from the other States. The men from the Shire were part of the main force that went ashore later. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pte. Leslie Charles BAILEY (Torquay Improvement Association) and Pte. William Jacob FULLER (Connewarre) both from the 5th Battalion died at the landing on this day 100 years ago. LEST WE FORGET.
Their bodies were never recovered for burial, or, if recovered were not identifiable. They are commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 24), Gallipoli, Turkey.

 

Private Leslie Charles BAILEY, Apollo Bay was Killed in Action, Gallipoli Pensinsula on 25/04/1915. He is remembered at The Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli

Private William Jacob FULLER, Connewarre was Killed in Action, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey on 25/04/1915. He is remembered at The Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli

 

Private  Alfred Ernest GREEN, Deans Marsh was Killed in Action, France on 11/04/1917. He is remembered at Villers-Bretonneux, Australian National Memorial

Private Charles Leslie Wallace ANDERSON, Ceres was Killed in action, Ballecomt, France on 11/04/1917. He is remembered at Villers-Bretonneux, Australian National Memorial

Private Sydney Gordon CHALLIS, Connewarre was Killed in Action, France on 11/04/1917. He is remembered at Villers-Bretonneux, Australian National Memorial

Private Henry Donald McLEAN, Jan Juc was Killed in Action, France on 18/04/1917. He is remembered at Villers-Bretonneux, Australian National Memorial

 

 

Trooper George Thomas CLARK, Modewarre was Killed in Action, Gaza, Palestine on 19/04/1917. He is remembered at Jerusalem Memorial, Palestine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Private Richard Thomas Henry STRIPLING, Freshwater Creek died as a result of illness while a prisoner of war, in Turkey on 30/04/1918. He is remembered at The Basra Memorial, Iraq

 

 

 

 

Private Noel James BLACK, Wurdale died as a result of disease, in the Langnicourt sector, France on 26/04/1919. He is buried at Grevillers British Cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

On 4 April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) received orders to hold itself in readiness to leave Egypt.  The forces departed Egypt in early April, assembling on the island of Lemnos in Greece, where a small garrison had been established in early March. After arriving on 12 April a number of basic practice landings were undertaken. During the Gallipoli campaign 97 residents left for overseas with 89 of them landing at Gallipoli / Dardanelles, with 21 of these in the initial landings. There were two soldiers killed in action at the initial landing. Overall 26 residents died as a result of the fighting on this peninsula from being a POW (1), killed in action, died of their wounds or died as a result of disease.

FEBRUARY

 

 

 

 

 

Pte. John William Thompson, Freshwater Creek, died of Bronchial Pneumonia in England  6/2/1919, buried at  St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire

 

 

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