MERRICK, Percy Roy
| Service Number: | 3318 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brooklyn, New South Wales, Australia, 26 March 1895 |
| Home Town: | Kiama, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 27 July 1916, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Sunken Road Cemetery, Contalmaison |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3318, 19th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3318, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 26 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3318, 19th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Wounded by shell while in dug out. Died the next day. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Percy Roy MERRICK (Service Number 3318) was born on 25th March 1895 at Brooklyn, a town on the Hawkesbury River. He first worked for the NSW Government Railways in the Traffic Branch as a temporary junior porter in the Sydney District from 29th April 1913. Later that year he was made permanent and became a gatekeeper but reverted to junior porter in 1914. He was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 28th August 1915.
He had already enlisted at Warwick Farm a couple of weeks prior to this. Being unmarried and with his father deceased, he gave his mother Eileen, who was living at Kiama, as his next of kin. he was allotted to the 7th Reinforcements to the 19th Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Suevic’ at Sydney on 20th December 1915 and reached Egypt early in 1916. He was taken on the strength of the 19th Battalion at Ascania on 16th March. Almost immediately he proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force via Alexandria and Marseilles, which he passed on 25th March.
On the Western Front he was wounded in action in France on 26th July 1916. He died of those injuries the next day. F A Stean (4248) reported:
‘On July 27th. at Pozières Merrick was in a dug out opposite me, a shell burst and buried 7 of us including Merrick. He was dug out and buried at Pozières in a little cemetery. I saw his grave and think that another name was on the same cross. I did not actually see his body as I was hurt myself.’
He was buried in the Australian Cemetery between Contalmaison & Pozières, by Rev F Clune, who was attached to the 19th Battalion. This cemetery was later described as Sunken Road Cemetery, and is located just South East of Pozières, and 3¾ miles East North East of Albert.
Merrick’s mates wrote to his mother and a copy of their letter survives.
‘France
10.8.16
Dear Mrs Merrick,
The boys of 15th section wish to convey their deepest sympathy to the bereaved, once our late comrade P.R. Merrick, who fell during the great advance. It comes very hard to us to lose a comrade, so we can deeply sympathise with you all, for we know that it is harder by far for you to bear. There is one consolation though & that is that we all know that your son fell doing his very best. Please accept deepest sympathy from us all.
The boys of the 15th section per
Cpl MacDonald.’
At the time she received this letter the only official advice that Eileen Merrick had received was that her son was wounded. She immediately wrote to the military seeking confirmation, including her transcription of McDonald’s letter as evidence. It is her transcription of the letter which survives.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.