FOSTER, Percy Walter
| Service Number: | 1138 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Robe, South Australia, May 1891 |
| Home Town: | Lucindale, Naracoorte and Lucindale, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Conmurra Public School |
| Occupation: | Grazier |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Noureuil, France, 2 April 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Noreuil Australian Cemetery, Picardie |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lucindale Percy Walter Foster Memorial, Lucindale War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1138, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1138, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1138, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1138, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 26 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 50th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1138, 50th Infantry Battalion, Mouquet Farm | |
| 14 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal | |
| 20 Mar 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 50th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line | |
| 2 Apr 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1138, 50th Infantry Battalion, Noreuil |
Uncle Percy
My Grandmother was Violet May Stevens(nee Foster). She was married to Cuthbert Fortington Stevens they were Graziers in Lucindale and had 7 children. My late father Valentine (known as Peter) was one of the younger twins born in 1926 (I also have twin boys). Violet had their older children by the time Percy went to war as the oldest was married when my father was a toddler. Dad took us to Lucindale to revisit his past twice in 1966 and in 1986 and we visited Percy's memorial in its old location near the school. I recall him telling us that all of the girls in his mothers family were named for flowers. I am one of the younger of 10 children in our family so never met any of our grandmothers generation. It is interesting to note that one of my brothers looks very much like Percy. I wonder who's arm is linked with his in the photos. His sister perhaps? We don't have any other particulars about his life and I have only what we have found online and from the red cross. Do you have any other photos or stories you could share with us? Thanks for sharing what you have done so far, it has piqued the interest of the next generation also. regards, Catherine
Submitted 9 July 2015 by Catherine Stevens
Uncle Percy
My husband Steve Lewis added Uncle Percy's story to the Virtual War Memorial on my behalf advising that Uncle Percy had now been honoured with a Believed to be Buried Headstone at Noreuil, France after research we undertook after a visit to the Somme in 2009. We will be travelling there in the next few weeks and will take a photo of the headstone for the family to see and add to his Virtual Memorial page on our return.
My Nanna was Daisy Foster a sister of Percy. She married John Edward Leigh and had two children, my late Dad John Percy Walter Leigh and a daughter June who lives in Western Australia. I met another brother of Percy's Bill and his wife Myrtle Foster many times when they came to Adelaide on visits from Naracoorte.
Karen Lewis
Submitted 24 April 2015 by Karen Lewis
Uncle Percy
This is my Great uncle, my grandmother's brother. He was with the 10th battalion in Gallipoli, shot in the chest and sent to England to recover before being sent to France and killed in action. Thank you for erecting a headstone at Noreuil, I noticed that a photo of his grave was requested in a letter by his father, but was never able to be fulfilled. He has a memorial dedicated to him in Lucindale, his home town.
Submitted 25 March 2015 by Catherine Stevens
Biography
This is my wife's late great uncle. As a result of our enquiries dating back to 2009, we have been able to have a headstone erected in the Noreuil Australian Cemetery, Picardie, France where he died whilst fighting with the 50th Battalion. Formerly he was listed on the wall at Villers Brettonneux as having no known grave. I am able to add more information to this site based on family and AWM records. - Stephen Lewis
"...1138 Private Percy Walter Foster, 10th Battalion. A grazier from Lucindale, South Australia, prior to enlistment, he embarked with the First Reinforcements from Melbourne on 27 December 1914 aboard HMAT Themistocles for Suez. His battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Pte Foster was wounded in action on 15 May 1915 and was evacuated to England for treatment and recuperation before rejoining his battalion in Egypt. In late February 1916 he was transferred to the 50th Battalion which relocated to the Western Front, France, in early June 1916 and he was appointed Lance Corporal (L Cpl) a month later. L Cpl Foster was killed in action near Noreuil on 2 April 1917 and was buried in the Noreuil Australian Cemetery. His grave and 81 others were destroyed by shellfire and his name is recorded on a special memorial. He was aged 25 years." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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