Percy DOUGLAS

DOUGLAS, Percy

Service Number: 537
Enlisted: 26 August 1914, Enlisted at Kensington, NSW
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 3rd Infantry Battalion
Born: Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia, 30 June 1892
Home Town: Bungendore, Palerang, New South Wales
Schooling: Mount Fairy, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Framing Contractor; Tram Conductor
Died: Killed in Action, Gallipoli, 19 May 1915, aged 22 years
Cemetery: 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery
Row C, Grave 10 Headstone inscription reads: He died for King & Country
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bungendore WW1 Roll of Honour, Bungendore War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Queanbeyan Presbyterian Parish Queanbeyan-Canberra Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

26 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 537, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Kensington, NSW
20 Oct 1914: Involvement Private, 537, 3rd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: ''
20 Oct 1914: Embarked Private, 537, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney

Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board

Percy DOUGLAS (Service Number 537) was born on 30 June 1892 at Woollahra, Sydney. Although employed as a tram conductor at the time of his joining the AIF in August 1914, he described himself as a ‘framing contractor’ on his enlistment papers. He had worked for the Tramway Traffic Branch since only the beginning of the year.

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Biography contributed by Carol Foster

Grandson of Jessie McElroy of Bungendore, NSW

Son of James W. and Elizabeth Douglas

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal. Victory Medal

Biography contributed by Greg Keir

Son of Mary McElroy

Biography contributed by Greg Keir

Born Percy McElroy, however as his mother Mary McElroy was not married, surname changed to Douglas. He was adopted by his grandmother Janet (Jessie) McElroy and  raised on family property in the Sandhills Mount Fairy NSW - near Bungendore. Mary McElroy married William Steeper and they had 6 children. All raised with Percy on the family property.

Douglas is a McElroy family surname.

Biography contributed by John Oakes

Percy DOUGLAS (Service Number 537) was born on 30th June 1892 at Woollahra, Sydney. Although he was employed as a tram conductor at the time of his joining the AIF in August 1914, he described himself as a ‘framing contractor’ on his enlistment papers. He had worked for the Tramway Traffic Branch only since the beginning of the year. 

He dies at Gallipoli on 18th June 1915.

His grandmother, Mrs J. McElroy of Bungendore was his next of kin. She dealt with the military authorities regarding the inscription on his headstone in the 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery, Gallipoli.

Jessie McElroy wrote, in 1922:

‘You will see I have not filled in the form you sent me Re-Late Percy Douglas. I am a very aged lady & unable to go to much expense with regards to an inscription & as it may run in pretty expensive & my means are very small & do not see my way clear to go to much expense. Please let me know if I sent you a few shillings to help defray some of the expense in some way would it be acceptable.’

The suggested cost of the inscription, upon a headstone which would be provided at government expense, was a maximum of 17/-.  Eventually Jessie accepted the words ‘He died for King & Country’ and this cost her 9/2.

- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board

 

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