Attwater, Percy William

322 Private Percy William Attwater - 1st Machine Gun Battalion AIF

Percy William Attwater was born in 1896 in Suffolk England to Alfred and Ellen Attwater. He had five siblings, Ethel (1895), Harold (1900), Dorothy (1905), Frederick (1909) and Alfred (1915).

Percy was educated in Sussex and in the 1900's the family moved to South Africa for a few years before moving to back to England.

In January 1914 the family left England for Australia and took up residence in Western Australia, living in Paget Street Fremantle. At that stage there were only two houses in Paget Street.

On the 21st March 1916 Percy enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 11 inches tall;

Weight - 154lbs;

Chest Measurement - 38 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Fair.

Upon his successful enlistment Percy was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.55 Training Depot. He spent a few weeks there and was then assigned to the 14th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion. However Percy was able to transfer to the 4th Reinforcements to the 4th Machine Gun Company as his father Alfred was also in this group.

He left Fremantle Harbour with this reinforcement group aboard the transport ship HMAT Miltiades on the 9th August 1916. After the long sea voyage the ship arrived at Plymouth Harbour on the 25th September 1916.

After being disembarked Percy and his group were sent to the Machine Gun Training Depot at Grantham. 

Percy spent the next six months in England and on the 10th March 1917 was sent across to France. After a few more weeks at the Machine Gun Depot Camp at Camiers France, Percy and his father Alfred were taken on strength of the 1st Machine Gun Company on the 28th April 1917.

Percy and Alfred served with his unit at the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917 and came through unscathed. His unit were then sent on a three month rest period from the front line and much of June to August 1917 was taken up by training and sporting activities.

In September 1917 the 1st Machine Gun Company moved to Belgium to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres from September to November 1917. Percy served at the Battle of Menin Road on September 20th 1917 and subsequent actions at Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke and Broodseinde Ridge. On the 4th October 1917 at Broodseinde Ridge Percy was wounded when struck by shrapnel in his forearm.

He was evacuated to the 66th Field Ambulance for initial medical care before being sent on to the 10th Casualty Clearing Station. From here Percy was sent to the 5th Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne. He had two days of medical treatment here and was then shipped to England. He was admitted to a military hospital at Cosham where he spent the next month. Percy was then transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield on the 7th November 1917. He remained here till the 28th November 1917 and was then given a two week furlough.

On the 11th December 1917 Percy reported into No.3 Command Depot Camp. He had a week here when he reported sick and was diagnosed to be suffering from tonsilitis. He was sent to Fovant Military Hospital and spent a few weeks there recovering.

On the 8th February 1918 Percy was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott and on the 2nd March 1918 was transferred to the Machine Gun training camp at Grantham. After a week at this camp Percy was sent to the Overseas Training Brigade Camp at Longbridge Deverell.

On the 15th April 1918 Percy returned to France and was sent to the Machine Gun Depot Camp at Camiers. He spent a few more days here and then was sent to the front. In March 1918 the Machine Gun Companies changed names. Previously each Infantry Brigade had a machine gun company assigned to it but the four Machine Gun Companies in the Division now joined up to become a battalion. So in Percy's 1st Division, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 21st Machine Gun Companies joined together to form the 1st Machine Gun Battalion.

Percy was taken back on strength of the 1st Machine Gun Battalion on the 25th April 1918. The 1st Australian Division was then in the vicinity of Merris and Meteren and would remain there till July 1918.

In August 1918 the 1st Australian Division joined the other Australian Divisions near Villers Bretonneux. Percy's unit took part in the advance from Amiens, seeing action from August 8th 1918 to September 20th 1918. They were then pulled out of the line for a well deserved rest period. Percy had come through this time safely.

When the Armistice was announced on November 11th 1918, the 1st Australian Division were about to return to the front line. Instead they were sent into what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France. Percy remained with the 1st Machine Gun Battalion until the 27th February 1919. He was then given a two week leave period to England after which he returned to his unit in France on the 13th March 1919. Percy spent another month in France and on the 17th April 1919 he returned to England.

Percy was then sent to No.1 Group Camp where he waited to be assigned a berth on a troopship home. On the 1st June 1919 Percy boarded the transport ship Somali and set sail for Australia, disembarking in Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.

Percy was discharged from the AIF on the 22nd August 1919. He then returned home to Paget Street in Fremantle.

The family then moved to Leederville and in 1922 he was a horse trainer, living at Wilberforce Street in Leederville.

In 1927 Percy married Jean Eveline Urquhart and a daughter Iris was born in 1929.

By 1931 the family was living at 38 Bondi Street Balcatta and Percy was working as a Painter and Signwriter. The family was still living here up to Percy's service in World War Two.

Percy put his age down by five years to enlist in World War Two, stating he was born in 1901 not 1896. On the 19th February 1940 he was accepted as fit and accepted for service in the Australian Army on the homefront. He was assigned to the Royal Australian Engineers (Reg. No.W235073) and specifically the 7th Workshops and Park Company and the 17th Australian Maintenance Platoon.

During this time Percy was mainly based at Karrakatta Barracks and Northam Army Camp.

Percy remained in the Army till the 8th January 1946 when he was demobilised.

1958 - as above

Percy died on the 10th November 1967 aged 71 in Balcatta. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.