Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

When William Percy 'Bill' Orchard was born on January 26, 1916, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, his father, Rupert, was 25 and his mother, Evelyn, was 22. He was the youngest of 4 children with 2 brothers, Sidney and Stanley and a big sister, Beryl.

William's father went off to have himself blown up at the Somme in WWI when he was still in his mother's womb, so he never knew his father, neither did his siblings, and his mum was left to cope alone. She didn't. Bill (as he preferred to be called) was brought up in the Melbourne Orphanage and all we know of his earlier life is gleaned from his enlistment papers for WWII service.

Bill had been working as a rail employee and living in Benalla, Vic.

All 3 brothers served in WWII with Stan signing up first in 1939, then Bill in 1940 and finally Sid in 1942. Stanley listed Bill as his Next of Kin, and Sidney originally lists his mother as his but her name is crossed out and replaced with his sister Beryl's details. So none of them were close to their mum but Sid did live with her or near her in the 30s and Bill did list her as his NOK with an address.

Bill enlisted in July 1940 but by September he married a Catholic girl named Mavis Muirhead when he was 24 years old. Their oldest son named William was born in Mar 1941. In June Bill was sent OS to fight in the Middle East with an anti-aircraft regt. He spent 2 years there before being sent back to Melbourne to train for service in New Guinea in Dec 1943.

All 3 brothers served in New Guinea at some stage with big brother Sidney being shot and killed there. Percy was with the Artillery Brigade involved in the Buna campaign so I don't think he served with his brothers and possibly didn't even know where they were.

Percy survived the war relatively unscathed and returned to his wife and son in 1945 when he picked up the threads of his life and continued working for the railway department.

Percy and Mavis had nine children in 15 years with 8 surviving to adulthood;

1. William Campbell Orchard (printer) 1941–
2. Patricia Ann Orchard (child care) 1944–
3. Lance Orchard 1946–
4. Anthony Orchard (d. inf.) 1948–1948
5. Maureen Judith Orchard Halfhide Anderson 1949–
6. Joan Margaret Orchard 1951–
7. David Lawrence Orchard 1953–
8. John Lewis Orchard 1954–
9. Susan Elizabeth 'Sue' Orchard Verwey (d. age 60, 4 child.) 1956–2017

In his 50's Bill changed his occupation and became a painter by trade moving to Carnegie from Yarrum where his youngest daughter was born in the 60's.

In Nov 1985, Bill's daughter, now a nun at the Convent of Mercy in Fitzroy wrote to the army to ask for details of her grandfather and uncles' war records and the whereabouts of their graves on behalf of her father. So Bill had lost all contact with his brothers and their burial places as well as having had no idea where in France or how his father had died. I am not even sure that they knew that Stanley was dead. Patrice had to produce evidence for the army to release any details, which she did later in Jan 1986. All she had was a death notice in the paper. So perhaps Stan's death prompted Bill's request? The army sent her Stan's war record.

Bill and Mavis lived at 8 Railway Pd, Carnegie until his death.

William Percy Orchard died of cancer on August 1, 1999, in Cabrini Hospital, Malvern at the age of 83, and was cremated in Springvale.

After Mavis' passing his ashes were interred with his wife at Cheltenham Memorial Park in 2014.