SA3698 / 10730
PERRY, Alfred Charles
| Service Number: | 3359 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Coach Builder |
| Died: | Minlaton, South Australia, Australia, 30 April 1983, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth, South Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Mar 1918: | Involvement Private, 3359, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: SS Ormonde embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Mar 1918: | Embarked Private, 3359, 43rd Infantry Battalion, SS Ormonde, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Trevor Pyatt
Alfred Charles Perry (c.1891 – 30 April 1983)
Husband of Mary Maria (née McKinnon)
Private, 43rd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force
Early Life
Alfred Charles Perry was born around 1889–1891 his WW1 attestation lists his birthplace as Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria.
His father was Alfred Joseph Perry, a fact confirmed by his 1914 marriage registration. Further details about his mother and early childhood are not recorded in the available civil registrations.
By the mid-1910s Alfred was living and working in South Australia as a coachsmith, a trade requiring skill in carpentry and metalwork.
Marriage and Family
On 5 March 1914, at the Manse in Mount Gambier, Alfred married:
Mary Maria McKinnon
Born: 27 Aug 1892, Mount Gambier
Parents: John McKinnon & Maria (née Randy)
They went on to have at least five children, all confirmed by South Australian BDM records:
Children of Alfred Charles Perry & Mary Maria (née McKinnon):
Daniel John Perry
b. 15 Aug 1914, Moorak (Grey district)
Kathlyn Margaret Perry
b. 5 Nov 1915, Mount Gambier
Alfred Claude Perry
b. 4 Nov 1917, Croydon
Kenneth Charles Perry
b. 3 Nov 1920, Portland (Port Adelaide district)
Betty Joan Perry
b. 3 Nov 1923, Port Adelaide
The family later lived in Port Vincent, Yorke Peninsula, where Alfred worked and raised their children.
Mary Maria Perry died relatively young, on 11 July 1941, aged 48, at Northfield Hospital.
World War I Military Service
Service Number: 3359
Rank: Private
Unit: 43rd Battalion, A.I.F.
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Coachsmith
Next of Kin: Wife – Mary Maria Perry
Enlistment
2 August 1917, at Gawler, South Australia
Age recorded: 28 years 11 months
Height: 5 ft 4 in
Complexion: Medium
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Light brown
Distinguishing marks: Tattoo "R 6/6" (likely a medical note)
At the time of enlistment, Alfred declared he had two children, confirming family establishment prior to service.
Embarkation & Overseas Service
Embarked: 6 March 1918
HMAT Aeneas, Melbourne
Disembarked: 15 May 1918, Southampton
He served in the UK with:
9th Training Battalion
43rd Battalion reinforcements
Training and depot units at Fovant, Hurdcott, and administrative depots
He never reached the Western Front due to ongoing medical problems.
Medical Issues & Hospitalisation
Alfred suffered persistent complications from a varicocele, a condition affecting circulation and causing pain. His medical records show multiple admissions and transfers between hospitals and depot units.
Return to Australia
2 January 1919: Marked for early return
13 February 1919: Arrived home aboard HMAT Aeneas
Discharge
11 April 1919, Adelaide
Reason: Medically Unfit – Not Due to Misconduct
Total Service: 1 year 253 days
Service Abroad: 345 days
Medals Awarded
British War Medal
Victory Medal
(Though a 1914–15 Star stamp appears on paperwork, his service dates indicate he did not qualify.)
Later Life
After returning from the war, Alfred resumed civilian life in South Australia. By the 1920s–1940s the family was established at Port Vincent, and later Yorke Peninsula regions. Alfred survived his wife Mary by more than 40 years.
He died on 30 April 1983, aged 92, with his death registered at Minlaton Hospital. He is remembered as a hardworking tradesman, husband, and father, and as a returned soldier who served during the final phase of the First World War.
Sources
Birth, Marriage & Death
South Australian BDM:
Marriage: PERRY / McKinnon (5 March 1914), Grey, 258/695
Mary Maria McKinnon birth: 27 Aug 1892, 507/354
Mary Maria Perry death: 11 July 1941, 638/3194
Children birth registrations (Grey, Hindmarsh, Port Adelaide districts)
Military Service
National Archives of Australia – Service Record:
NAA: B2455, PERRY ALFRED CHARLES
Includes:
Attestation papers
Casualty forms
Medical board records
Discharge documents
Medal issue stamps
Embarkation & return details
Death Notice
The Advertiser (Adelaide), 2 May 1983 – Death notice for "Alfred Charles Samuel Perry", aged 92.
Biography by Trevor Pyatt - 11/12/22025