Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Percy Garland Webb

General background
Percy G. Webb was enlisted on the 7th of July 1915 at the age 28 and month. With his father, David, as his next of kin, Percy lived an honest life working as a tailor living in High street Maryborough.

War service
Percy embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Wiltshire A18 on the 18th of November 1915 under the service number 3289 the 58th Battalion. Percy fought heroically for 4 years ranking as a private.

The 58th Battalion
The 58th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 17 February 1916 as part of the expansion of the AIF. Roughly half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 6th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 6th, the 58th was predominantly composed of men from Victoria. The battalion became part of the 15th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division.
Having only arrived in France on 23 June, the 58th became embroiled in its first major battle on the Western Front at Fromelles on 19 July. The battle was a disaster. The 58th had the dual role of providing carrying parties and a reserve force. The reserve force (approximately half of the battalion) was ordered to attack late in the battle and was virtually annihilated by machine-gun fire; as a whole, the 58th suffered casualties equal to almost a third of its strength. Despite the grievous losses in its battalions, the 5th Division continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months.
Early in 1917 the 58th battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, but it was spared from the assault. It did, however, defend gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt, between 9 and 12 May. Later in the year, the AIF's focus of operations switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium. The 58th's major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September.

Fromelles
The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, rendering it incapable of offensive action for many months; the 61st British Division suffered 1,547. The German casualties were little more than 1,000. The attack was a complete failure as the Germans realised within a few hours it was merely a feint. It therefore had no impact whatsoever upon the progress of the Somme offensive.

Percy’s passing
On the 8th of February 1917, after a night of agony Percy was found in the morning, wounded in both legs from a shell in the trench, left in the chaos of battle. He was rushed to hospital with severe wounds and fractured tibias, they had amputated both legs, but Percy unfortunately passed from the wounds. Percy was buried in Dernancourt Communal Cemetery extension. Percy’s parents, john and Emma, inscribe “IN MEMORY OF THE DEARLY LOVED SON OF MR. & MRS. WEBB OF MARYBOROUGH” on his grave. Dernancourt is a village 3 kilometres south of Albert. The Communal Cemetery is a little west of the village, and the Extension is on the north-west side of the Communal Cemetery.