Peter RATTIGAN

RATTIGAN, Peter

Service Number: 1407
Enlisted: 1 December 1914
Last Rank: Lance Corporal
Last Unit: 10th Infantry Battalion
Born: Clarence Park, South Australia, date not yet discovered
Home Town: Glandore, Marion, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Glass beveller
Died: Non Battle Casualty, Mouquet Farm, France, 22 August 1916, age not yet discovered
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France
Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Edwardstown District WW1 Roll of Honor, Goodwood St George Anglican Church Memorial Tower, Marion District Roll of Honour WW1, Plympton District Roll of Honor, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France)
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World War 1 Service

1 Dec 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1407, 10th Infantry Battalion
2 Feb 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1407, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Clan McGillivray, Melbourne
25 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1407, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: ''
1 Aug 1916: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion
8 Aug 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1407, 10th Infantry Battalion, Mouquet Farm
22 Aug 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1407, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1407 awm_unit: 10 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-08-22

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Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College

Before war

Peter Rattigan was born in Clarance Park, South Australia then went to Plympton Public school as a child. When Peter grew up he became a glass beveller as a full time occupation and remained single. One of his hobbies was studying his religion, which was being a Roman Catholic. During his service, he was in the 2nd reinforcement to the 10th Battalion, and was a Lance corporal in his battalion, and served as an Australian Imperial Force. Rattigan’s unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A46 Clan MacGillivray on the 2nd of February 1915. Rattigan enlisted at the age 23.

 

During war

Peter Rattigan was in the 10th Battalion. The 10th Battalion was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF in world war 1. The 10th Battalion was recruited in South Australia and along with the 9th, 11th and 12th Battalions they formed the 3rd Brigade. The battalion was formed in just a few weeks in August 1914 then where sent off 2 months after. They then proceeded to Egypt arriving in early December.

 

Rattigan was mostly in the trenches in Gallipoli.  The soldiers showed great ANZAC spirit through dealing with these sicknesses and staying strong to keep fighting for their country, even when they had severe medical conditions. Peter'ss battalion was in Gallipoli where he was in the trenches for most of his service.

 

He fought for a minimal amount of time in the front line, till he was shot in the right ear by the enemy, and was sent to hospital on 31-7-15, where he remained there for a small amount of time, he was then discharged back to the front lines on the 6-8-15. When he returned to the front lines he remained in the trenches where he was spying on the enemy with the periscope. He remained in the trenches for the majority of the time back in war. A lot of soldiers suffered with diphtheria and gastro. Diphtheria is often spread through others coughing and sneezing on or around you. Peter caught this and was sent to hospital on the 10-9-15.

 

He remained in hospital for one month in critical condition, due to an illness he had caught and the extreme condition in the trenches. After Rattigan had recovered, he was discharged from hospital and sent back to war in France. Often weapons were used such as shrapnel bombs, rifles, machine guns and tanks. They used shrapnel bombs to injure if not kill people. He was killed in action on the 22nd August 1916. Along with his brother Francis Rattigan, who was a private, also in the 10th battalion, killed in action and died on the 7th October 1917 in Passchendaele, Belgium.

After war

They both do not have a known grave. Both of their belongings were sent back to their next of kin who was their father, Patrick Rattigan, Glandore south Australia.               

 

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