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Percy Goodall

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Percy Goodall
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Personal Information
Date of Birth c1874
Place of Birth Cape Town, South Africa
Death 18 May 1965, aged 91
Place of Death Hollywood Repat Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment 40 years, 6 months
Description 5'8¼" (1.73m) tall ; 138lbs
62.596 kg
; fair complexion ; grey and blue eyes ; fair hair ; tattoos to both forearms
Occupation Plasterer
Religion Church of England
Address Lacey street, East Cannington, Western Australia
Next of Kin Wife , Mrs Ellen Goodall
Military Information
Reg Number 945
Date of Enlistment 28 Jun 1915
Rank Private
Unit/Formation 32nd Battalion, D Company
Date of Embarkation 18 Nov 1915 ‒ 18 Dec 1915
Ship Embarked On HMAT A2 Geelong
Date of Return 13 Feb 1917 ‒ 12 Apr 1917
Ship Returned On HMAT A38 Ulysses
Fate Wounded in action 20 Jul 1916 Fromelles
Returned to Australia
Monument Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll
Medals 1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal



Pre War

Percy was born in South Africa to Thomas Goodall and his wife Ada. The family had returned to England prior to 1901 when Percy married Ellen Matilda Bolingbroke. They had two daughters. Lilly Elizabeth (b. 1904) and Violet Maud (b. 1905). At that time Percy was working as a plasterer. Electoral Roll entry: 1910 Lacey street, East Cannington, letter carrier.


War Service

Entered camp on 28 Jun 1915 and initially allocated to the 3rd reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion, but on 16 Aug 1915 Percy was reallocated to the newly formed 32nd Battalion's 'C' Company as a Bugler. In late September 1915 the Western Australian Companies 'C' and 'D' travelled to Mitcham in South Australia. Australian training completed, the battalion boarded HMAT A2 Geelong on 18 November in Port Adelaide for Port Tewfik (Suez) in Egypt where they arrived at 5:00am on 14 Dec 1915. However, disembarkation did not occur until 7:30am on the 18th when they entrained for Moascar Camp. As part of the 8th Brigade, they entrained in Moascar for Alexandria at 8:00pm on 16 Jun 1916 and arrived there at 3:00am on the 17th. Two hours later they embarked aboard the HMT Transylvania in Alexandria for Marseilles, and arrived there on 23 Jun 1916, disembarking at 9:00am before entraining at 2:00pm for Hazebrouck (northern France) in cattle railway wagons. They arrived at Steenbecque station at 10:00pm on 25 Jun 1916 and marched to a camp at Morbecque.

On 20 Jun 1916 the 32nd Battalion, as part of the 5th Australian Division was involved in what became known as the Battle for Fromelles in which the Australians suffered very heavy casualties. The 32nd Battalion's casualties alone numbered 71 Killed, 375 Wounded, and 219 men missing in action. Percy was one of many injured, in his case, with "Shell Shock".

Seen initially by the [[[8th Field Ambulance]] on 21 Jul 1916, he was sent back to the 1st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station who placed him aboard Ambulance Train No.18 the next day (22 Jul 1916). In Wimereux Percy was admitted to Lady Hadfield's Anglo-American (5th British Red Cross) Hospital on 22 Jul 1916 before being sent to Boulogne to board HS Jan Breydel for England.

In England Percy was admitted to the Ontario Military Hospital at Orpington in Kent for treatment on 28 Jul 1916. Released to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital on 10 Oct 1916, he was discharged on 23 Oct 1916 to No. 2 Command Depot in Weymouth to prepare for return to Australia. On 13 Feb 1917 Percy embarked on HMAT A38 Ulysses for Fremantle which was reached on 12 Apr 1917. Percy was discharged by the 5th Military District on 4 Jul 1917.


Post War

Percy and his wife travelled to England in 1931 and stayed at 119 Pickford Lane, Bexley Heath, Kent and returned on the “S.S. Bendigo” from London on 8 Jul 1932, arriving in Fremantle on 9 Aug 1932.

Electoral Roll entries: 1921 - 1931 Lacey street, East Cannington, letter carrier; 1936 - 1963 at 51 Henry street, East Cannington, plasterer


Notes

For further information on this soldier, or for more information about the history and heritage of the City of Gosnells, please contact the Heritage Coordinator on 9391 6011


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