HARRISON, Percy Herbert
| Service Number: | 2454 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 26 August 1887 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor car driver |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 5 November 1916, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hobart Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2454, 26th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2454, 26th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2454, 26th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Percy Herbert Harrison was one of three brothers to enlist in the First AIF. His younger brother Claud Harrison 12th Battalion AIF, was killed a few months before at Pozieres during July 1916, aged 23. Another brother, William Henry Harrison also served with the 26th Battalion and was sent home to Tasmania during early 1917 with heart problems. They were the sons of Patrick and Sophia Emma Harrison, of Hobart, Tasmania.
After leaving school Percy went into the transport business; he owned one of the first hire cars for tourists in Tasmania, based in Hobart. He was a keen sportsman and successful athlete. Around 1906 he competed in the footrace to the top of Mt. Wellington and in 1909 won a sterling silver teapot for winning the mile race at the Kingston Regatta.
In 1907 Percy married Mary Jane O'Neil in Hobart. When he enlisted, he was the father of three small boys, all under the age of five.
Percy and his married brother William both enlisted on 21 July 1915, both joining the 26th Battalion. Percy was slightly wounded in the knee during the Battle of Pozieres, and was killed in action near Flers. According to eye witnesses he was serving on a Lewis gun team when he was shot by a sniper. The attack failed and his body was had to be left in No Mans land, never to found.
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