PRICE, Cecil Horace
| Service Number: | 3427 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 June 1893 |
| Home Town: | North Sydney, North Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Mona Vale Public , & Greenwoods, NorthSchools, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Gunshot wounds to Head, Fractured Skull and Cerebral Abscess, Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham, Kent, England , 24 September 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fort Pitt Military Cemetery, Kent , England Memorial Reference: 1472. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Manly War Memorial NSW |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3427, 13th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3427, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Sydney | |
| Date unknown: | Honoured Military Medal |
Help us honour Cecil Horace Price's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He was 24 and the son of Charles Harry and Louisa Emily Price.
Biography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Cecil Horace Price was born in Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria on 9th June, 1893 to parents Charles Henry & Louisa Eliza Price (nee Rowland).
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 23rd August, 1915 as a 22 year old, single, Labourer from North Sydney, New South Wales.
Private Cecil Horace Price, Service number 3427 embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on HMAT Port Lincoln (A17) on 13th October, 1915 with the 4th Infantry Brigade, 13th Infantry Battalion, 11th Reinforcements.
He was allotted to & proceeded to join 13th Battalion from 45th Battalion on 6th March, 1916. Private Price was taken on strength with 13th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 10th March, 1916.
On 1st June, 1916 Private Price proceeded from Alexandria to join B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force). He disembarked at Marseilles on 8th June, 1916.
Private Price reported sick while in the field on 13th September, 1916. He was admitted to 4th Field Ambulance on 13th September, 1916 with Rheumatism then transferred to 13th Australian Field Ambulance. He was discharged to duty on 3rd October, 1916 & rejoined his Unit from Hospital on 4th October, 1916.
On 31st January, 1917 Private Price reported sick & was admitted to 4th D.R.S. (Divisional Rest Station) on 2nd February, 1917 with Influenza. He rejoined his Battalion from Hospital on 10th February, 1917.
Private Cecil Horace Price was wounded in action on 11th April, 1917. He was taken to 13th Australian Field Ambulance on 11th April, 1917 with a fractured skull. Private Price was transferred to 36th Casualty Clearing Station with shrapnel wounds to eye & skull. Private Price was transferred & admitted too 13th Stationary Hospital at Boulogne, France on 23rd April, 1917 with shell wounds & a fractured skull. He embarked from Boulogne on Hospital Ship St. Andrew for England on 30th April, 1917 with Hernia, Cerebral & Compound Fractured Skull.
He was admitted to Central Military Hospital at Chatham, England on 30th April, 1917 with a Compound fractured skull. The Hospital Report reads: “Wounded Aprl. 11, 17. Operation fracture of frontal bone (R1) excised. Arrived in England with large Cerebral hernia. Xray shows irregular hole in R frontal bone with several fragments of ban in lower margin. Rt. Plosis.
Has cleaned up & hernia has almost disappeared with Bipp dressing. Slight Papillitis L. side. Has practically no symptoms now exe for very occasional headache.
When on point of transfer to Australian Depot developed a large cerebral abscess & L. Hemplegia. Abscess drained. V. nearly died. Has now recovered completely wd almost healed. Hernia which became very large has now subsided again. Walks about & can do practically anything. At operation for drainage of abscess, an attempt was made to remove the pieces of bone at lower margin of original wound. These were found firmly united to the edge of frontal bone & therefore left.”
Private Cecil Horace Price was awarded the Military Medal by orders of Lieut. General W. R. Birdwood on 15th May, 1917. Published in London Gazette on 18th June, 1917 & the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 4th October, 1917.
According to the recommendation "In the fighting near BULLECOURT on the 11th April, 1917, these two men showed conspicuous bravery as regimental stretcher bearers. The other two men of their squad were both hit by a shell whilst carrying a wounded man, and Privates Price and [3533 J H] Campbell were badly shaken, but they stuck to their work, returning again and again to the enemy's wire although under fire from snipers and machine guns. They continued at this work until both were severely wounded and then refusing help, dragged themselves to the Dressing Station. These men have done consistently good work in all our operations in FRANCE."
On 24th September, 1917 Private Cecil Horace Price died at 3.35 am at Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham, England from wounds received in action in France – Gunshot wounds to Head, Fractured Skull and Cerebral Abscess.
He was buried in Fort Pitt Military Cemetery, Rochester, Kent, England – Plot number 1472 and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/rochester---fort-pitt.html
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