PURSSELL, Charles
| Other Name: | Purssell, Charles Augustus |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 666 |
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1914, An original member of F Company 6th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Hawthorn, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in action, Bullecourt, France, 11 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 666, 6th Infantry Battalion, An original member of F Company 6th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 666, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 666, 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 11 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 2nd Machine Gun Company | |
| 25 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 2nd Machine Gun Company |
Help us honour Charles Purssell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Charles Augustus Purssell was the son of Mary Adelaide Gardner (formerly Purssell), of Hawthorn, Victoria. His father had passed away in 1915.
Charles’ older brother, 3439 Sergeant Sidney William Purssell M.M. 13th Battalion AIF, was decorated for bravery in France only weeks before Charles was killed.
Charles was one of the very first Australians to enlist, in August 1914, only days after war had been declared. He was present during the Anzac landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Company in Egypt after the evacuation of Gallipoli. He survived 1916 and was promoted to Corporal.
He was killed in action at the second battle of Bullecourt on 11 May 1917. Although a map reference is given in his service file of where he was buried, his grave was lost after the war.