Henville, Percy Walter
1558 Corporal Percy Walter Henville - 11th Battalion & 4th Machine Gun Battalion AIF
Percy Walter Henville was born in Fremantle WA in 1894 to Sampson and Amelia Henville and was one of four siblings, with, Muriel 1895, Archibald 1897 and Stanley 1899.
He was educated in Fremantle with the family living at Solomon Street and later at 28 Agnes Street (later renumbered to 8 Agnes). His father was a Councillor at Fremantle Municipality.
After leaving school Percy took up employment as a Clerk. During this time Percy served in the Naval Cadets and also the 86A Cadets of the Citizens Military Forces.
His mother died in Fremantle 1911, leaving his father to bring up the children.
On the 24th November 1914 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 4 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 128lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Dark.
After his successful enlistment, Percy was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 3rd Reinforcements of the 11th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for several weeks while they waited for their embarkation orders to come through.
These finally arrived and on the 22nd February 1915 Percy and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Itonus.
The ship arrived in Egypt in March 1915 and the men were then sent on to Lemnos Island to join the 11th battalion AIF. The official record states that Percy joined the 11th Battalion at Gallipoli on the 7th May 1915 and was assigned to "D" Company.
The 11th Battalion was on the southern end of the Anzac Battlefield near Boltons Ridge and Shell Green. The 11th battalion saw much action over the next few months, and Percy would have been present at the Turkish attack on 19th May, plus the 11th Battalion action on 28th June 1915 and the attack and capture of Leane's Trench from July 31st to August 4th 1915. He survived these actions unscathed but with the horrible conditions of the battlefield, sickness was rampant and in early September Percy was sent to the hospital at Anzac Beach quite ill.
He was then set by hospital ship to Mudros, but did not stay there as was then moved to Malta. He was admitted to hospital on Malta on the 10th September 1915 and spent the next month there. On the 12th October 1915 Percy was then transferred to England.
After his arrival in England Percy was still in quite ill health with gastritis/dysentery and it would be several months before he was well again. He had been admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital at Edgbaston Birmingham.
It wasn't until the 26th May 1916 that Percy was released from hospital and was then sent to Montevideo camp at Weymouth. He remained there for a month and on the 28th June 1916 was sent to the 3rd Australian Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp.
Percy was soon transferred to the Machine Gun Training Depot where he would be trained in the use of the Vickers Machine Gun. Percy was then sent to France in November 1916. He spent a few weeks at the Machine Gun Training Depot at Camiers but was then taken on strength of the 4th Machine Gun Company on the 8th December 1916.
The 4th machine Gun Company was then serving on the Somme battlefield near Flers and Delville Wood. It was a freezing cold French winter and Percy had a week in hospital at the end of December suffering from influenza. He then returned to his unit.
At the end of February 1917 the Germans began their planned withdrawal to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. They conducted a fighting withdrawal during March 1917.
The 4th Machine Gun Company took part in the Battle of Bullecourt on the 11th April 1917. The 4th Division assaulted the German line without artillery support and just with a few tanks, most of which broke down. The men were under severe German machine gun and artillery fire as they crossed No Man’s Land and amazingly they managed to break through the thick barbed wire into the Germans front line. However casualties getting that far were massive and once in the German lines no supplies could get through and after a few hours of holding the line the Germans had them boxed in. Percy and his Vickers machine gun provided much needed fire support but once out of ammunition no more supplies could be got to them.
The only option then seemed to be to try and get back to the Australian front line but with German fire sweeping every corner of No Man’s Land it was a very risky proposal. Percy was wounded in the action and managed to get back to the Australian lines.
Fortunately the wound to the arm was not severe and after a few weeks in hospital, Percy rejoined the 4th Machine Gun Company on the 5th May 1917.
In June 1917 the 4th Machine Gun Company, as part of the 4th Australian Division were sent to the Messines sector in Belgium where they took part in the 7th June offensive, being involved in the attack until the 10th June 1917. Percy survived the action unscathed and his unit were in this sector till August 1917. He was then promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.
In September 1917, the 4th Machine Gun Company were moved to the Ypres sector and would see action at Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele from September to November 1917.
Percy was evacuated ill on the 11th October 1917 but was back with his unit by the 24th October 1917.
In December 1917 the 4th Australian Division were located at Peronne in France, but by January 1918 had returned to Belgium. The 4th Machine Gun Company were then providing fire support to the front line in Belgium south east of Ypres near Hollebeke. On the 14th February 1918 Percy was given a fortnight's leave to England.
As a result of the German offensive of March 21st 1918 which broke through the British front line further south, the Australian Divisions were sent towards the Somme to help stop this German advance.
The 4th machine Gun Company, as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade, moved to Hebuterne where they joined New Zealand and British units in stopping the German advance in this sector. The infantry also started putting the Germans on the back foot by conducting raids on their positions.
On the 1st April 1918 Percy's unit, the 4th machine Gun Company, amalgamated with the three other Machine Gun Companies of the 4th Division (12th, 13th & 24th) to form the 4th Machine Gun Battalion.
In April 1918 the 4th Machine Gun Company moved to the Somme River and Villers-Bretonneux sector. They were in this area till July 1918. In June 1918 Percy was promoted to Corporal.
On the 4th July 1918 Percy and his unit took part in the successful capture of Hamel village. Percy again came through this action unscathed.
Percy then took part in the successful advance on August 8th 1918 on the Villers-Bretonneux front. The 4th Machine Gun Battalion provided fire support for the infantry advance on the southern side of the Somme River. During the advance they were getting heavy fire from the flank as the northern side of the Somme had not been cleared of the Germans, yet the 4th Division managed to take their objectives.
For the next few weeks, the Percy and his unit were constantly on the advance. On the 3rd September 1918 Percy was granted a fortnight's leave to the UK. However while he was on leave he fell ill and was admitted to Shornecliffe Military Hospital. On the 30th September 1918 he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. He was there till the 1st November 1918 and was then sent to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth.
However on the 6th November he was admitted to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield with influenza. Fortunately he recovered quickly and was then returned to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth where he would wait to be assigned a berth on a transport ship home.
On the 5th March 1919 Percy boarded the troopship Nevassa at Portland and set sail for Australia, reaching Fremantle on the 20th April 1919.
Percy was discharged from the AIF on the 23rd June 1919.
After returning from the war Percy lived in the Fremantle and Perth regions through the 1920's and 30's where he worked as a Carpenter.
His Father died in Mt Lawley in 1924, having recently moved there form Fremantle.
In World War Two Percy again offered his services and was given the service number W26493. He served in the 5th Garrison Battalion during 1941 but was then discharged from service.
He continued living in Mt Lawley and then Mt Hawthorn and was working as a carpenter.
Percy died on the 15th February 1962 aged 67. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.