MCDONALD, Percy John
| Service Number: | 66 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Richmond, Victoria, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Woollahra, Woollahra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 66, 1st Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of Victoria embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 66, 1st Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Star of Victoria, Sydney |
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After WW1, PJ developed the Ilolo Rubber Estate in Papua New Guinea, just before what was later to become the Kokoda Track. He was given an honorary commission of captain in WW2, possibly because of his military background in WW1 and the position of McDonald's Corner before the Kokoda Track (ie. it allegedly gave him authority to direct troops).
In later life he was quite a big man and was well known in the Port Moresby circles. For example, due to the rubber estate, he had reasonable means and drove around in a large Jaguar, perhaps the only such car in the region, which made his appearances quite recognisable.
He and his son Bobby returned to Europe in the 1960s, where he was able to reproduce a smattering of the French he had learned in his WW1 days, somewhat surprising the waiters.
The famous soldier memorial at McDonald's Corner just at the entrance to Ilolo Estate, and before the Kokoda Track, was built by Bobby, and bear's PJ's WW2 issue helmet and rifle.