MCDONALD, Peter
| Service Numbers: | 1877, 1896 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 February 1916, Melbourne, Vic. (second attempt) |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 46th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Clunes, Victoria, Australia, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Clunes, Hepburn, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of Illness, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, 3 February 1919 |
| Cemetery: |
Tidworth Military Cemetery, England Row A, Grave No. 60, T |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1877, 46th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic. (second attempt) | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1877, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1877, 46th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Melbourne | |
| 9 Oct 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1877, 46th Infantry Battalion, SW to left hand sustained near Ypres. Evacuated to UK. | |
| 23 Mar 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 65th Infantry Battalion, UK | |
| 26 Nov 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 46th Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1896, 46th Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens | |
| 18 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1896, 46th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days", GSW to right knee sustained during the attack on the Hindenburg Outpost Line. Evacuated to UK. | |
| 3 Feb 1919: | Involvement Private, 1896, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1896 awm_unit: 46th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1919-02-03 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Brother: 1423 Pte Norman McDONALD, 16th Bn, RTA 8 October 1915 however died of complications from wounds 24 November 1917 (post discharge).
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Peter McDonald enlisted in the AIF (at the second attempt) in Melbourne on 23 February 1916. He embarked overseas on 4 April and spent the next six months at the Rollestone Camp in Wiltshire, England. He sailed for France on 23 September and was taken on strength of the 46th Battalion on 4 October. Less than a week later, on 9 October 1916, he sustained a slight shrapnel wound to his left hand in the line near Ypres and was evacuated to England, where he spent three weeks in hospital.
Over the next eight months, he was absent without leave on six occasions and, as a result, was court martialled on 19 June 1917 and sentenced to 60 days detention. Upon his release he returned to France on 10 November, where he re-joined the 46th Battalion two weeks later.
The first major action he was involved in was the allied offensive from Amiens in August 1918. Several subsequent actions followed, and he was wounded for the second time during the 4th Division’s assault on the Hindenburg Outpost Line on 18 September 1918. He sustained a gunshot wound to his right knee and was evacuated to England.
After his release from hospital, he was again absent without leave on several occasions – possibly explained by the fact he had married an English girl – however he contracted pneumonia and was hospitalised at Bulford on 31 January 1919, where he died shortly after on 3 February 1919.
He was buried on 7 February 1919 in the Tidworth Military Cemetery in Wiltshire.
Source: Extract from "Clunes Soldiers Memorial Panel" by Robert Wight, June 2022.
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