PEARCE, Arthur Mueller
| Service Number: | 418 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914, Essendon, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 1885 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Bendigo Grammar School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 25 April 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
No.2 Outpost Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey Special Memorial 43, No 2 Outpost Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, East Melbourne Holy Trinity Anglican Church Corporal Arthur Mueller Pearce Memorial Plaque, MCC Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918 - Melbourne Cricket Club |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 418, Essendon, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 418, 7th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 418, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 418, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 418 awm_unit: 7 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1915-04-25 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Aged 30, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Pearce of Bendigo. Known as “Joe”, he played 152 games for Melbourne Football Club from 1904 to 1913. scoring 5 goals. His position was full-back. He represented Victoria at 1908 Carnival. Always played as a strict amateur, refusing even to accept out of pocket expenses. Played cricket for Coburg and for MCC Club Elevens. Also played lacrosse and tennis. Employee of AMP Society. Heavily involved in the life of Holy Trinity Church, East Melbourne: Church Treasurer, Sunday School Superintendent, Secretary of Church of England Mens Society, member of the Choir.
According to his sister, Pearce was the eighth person to enlist at Essendon on 17 Aug 1914.
He joined the 7th Battalion AIF and was promoted to Corporal on 6 Apr 1915.
Pearce was killed on 25 Apr 1915 while landing at Gabe Tepe.
"While making for Fisherman's Hut in a boat together with witness and under command of Lt Scanlon to take part in the landing on 25 April, Pearce was killed by machine gun or rifle fire. He was buried with 30 or 40 others on the beach."
According to Professor Geoffrey Blainey, Pearce was the first VFL footballler to die at Gallipoli. There is a plaque in his honour at Holy Trinity, East Melbourne.
He is commemorated at the No 2 Outpost Cemetery on the east side of the Anzac-Suvla Road along with 22 of his mates from the 7th Battalion who were also killed at the landings.
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