Phillip DAVEY VC, MM

Badge Number: 30279, Sub Branch: State
30279

DAVEY, Phillip

Service Number: 1327
Enlisted: 22 December 1914, Oaklands, South Australia
Last Rank: Corporal
Last Unit: 10th Infantry Battalion
Born: Unley, South Australia, 10 October 1896
Home Town: Exeter, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia
Schooling: Flinders Street Model School & Goodwood Public School
Occupation: Horse driver
Died: Natural Causes (heart attack), Repat Hospital, Springbank, South Australia, 21 December 1953, aged 57 years
Cemetery: AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia
Section: Kendrew Oval; Row Number: 7; Site Number: 58
Memorials: Adelaide 150 Jubilee Commemorative Pavement Plaques - WW1 VC Recipients, Adelaide Gilles Street Primary School WW1 Honour Roll (New), Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Adelaide Torrens Training Depot, Goodwood Public School WW1 Roll of Honor, Keith Payne VC Memorial Park, North Bondi War Memorial, Winchelsea WWI Memorial
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World War 1 Service

22 Dec 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, 1327, Oaklands, South Australia
2 Feb 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: ''

25 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Evacuated ill. Later diagnosed as enteric fever, common among the troops at ANZAC due to poor sanitation and hygiene brought about by the proximity of makeshift cemeteries and constrained sanitation options. Returned to Australia 21 January 1916
27 Jun 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, Re-embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT Barambah A3 with the 10th Battalion's 18th reinforcements
22 Sep 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, Mouquet Farm, RTU Sep 1916 in the Field
4 Nov 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17, Evacuated sick
15 Mar 1917: Wounded German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages, Accidental - bomb wound left hand
9 May 1917: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion
26 Aug 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, Rejoined unit from sick list. Wounded 3 Oct 1917
3 Oct 1917: Wounded Third Ypres, Wounded (2nd time) in action - gassed - Belgium - to 17 Casualty Clearing Station 4/10/1917 to 11th General Hospital 11/10/1917 to No.6 C Depot, Damies Camiers 13/10/1917 joined ADBD, Havre, France
3 Jan 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, Recommended for the Military Medal
3 Jan 1918: Honoured Military Medal, For his actions in retrieving a wounded comrade from no-man's land under heavy fire. See link in sidebar
24 Apr 1918: Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion, Transferred to permanent cadre Overseas Training Brigade Tidworth UK
28 May 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 1327, 10th Infantry Battalion, Merris (France)
28 Jun 1918: Honoured Victoria Cross, Merris (France), For his actions at Merris after his Platoon Commander and a number of others were killed. He killed the crew of the machine gun and then turned the gun on advancing German troops 'saving his platoon from annihilation'. Severely wounded as a result. See link in sidebar
28 Jun 1918: Wounded Merris (France), 3rd time - severe resulting in repatriation to Australia.
24 Feb 1919: Discharged AIF WW1
Date unknown: Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

WW1

The details provided are taken from the book "Stealth Raiders - a few daring men in 1918" written by Lucas Jordan, published 2017, refer to pages 113/4 and 265. Prior to the war he was a driver of Exeter SA. He enlisted 22nd Dec 1914 aged 19 years. He served with the 10th Infantry Battalion, and for his service he was awarded a Victoria Cross and a Military Medal. He survived the war, promotion to the rank of Corporal along the way, and departed the UK for home 19th Oct 1918.

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Biography contributed by Robert Kearney

Davey, Phillip (1896–1953)
by Peter Burness

Phillip Davey, railwayman and soldier, was born on 10 October 1896 at Unley, South Australia, son of William George Davey, carpenter, and his wife Elizabeth, née O'Neill. Educated at Flinders Street Model School and Goodwood Public School, he worked as a horse-driver at the time of his enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force at Morphettville on 22 December 1914.

Davey embarked on 2 February 1915 at Melbourne with the 10th Battalion's 2nd reinforcements and proceeded to Egypt and Lemnos prior to the attack on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He was present at the landing and took part in four days of heavy fighting which followed. He was engaged in the subsequent trench fighting until eventually invalided from the peninsula with enteric fever. After treatment at the 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis, Egypt, he returned to Australia in January 1916. On 27 June Davey re-embarked with the 10th Battalion's 18th reinforcements and proceeded to England. He joined his battalion in France in September just before it moved into the line at Hill 60 in the Ypres sector. He was accidentally wounded on 15 March 1917 and was gassed on 3 October.

Read more - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/davey-phillip-5892 (adb.anu.edu.au)

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Biography contributed

Biography written by Ben Francis, Scotch College, SA attached as a document. Winning entry for 2015 Premier's Anzac Spirit School Prize.