RUSSELL, Percy Lionel
| Service Numbers: | 2417, S42764, 2417 / S42764 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 June 1915, Keswick Barracks, Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Divisional Signal Company |
| Born: | Collingwood, Victoria, 24 June 1887 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Telephone Inspector |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Officers of S.A. Post, Telegraph and Telephone Department Great War Roll of Honor, Postmaster General's Department Adelaide |
Peacetime
| 4 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Keswick Barracks, Adelaide |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 13 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, 2417, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, 2417, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Adelaide | |
| 15 Nov 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 2417, 2nd Divisional Signal Company, From 27th Infantry Battalion attached to 2 Div Signals as a Lance Corporal, promoted Corporal, awarded Military Medal. Promoted to Sergeant, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, promoted to Lieutenant. Awarded Military Cross. |
World War 2 Service
| 22 Apr 1942: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 2417 / S42764 | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 1942: | Enlisted S42764 |
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Pre WW1 Percy Russell played 25 football matches for North Adelaide Roosters between 1906 and 1913 and is the first recorded winner of the reserves Magarey Medal in 1909.
When 28 year old Percy Russell 2417 enlisted in the AIF in 1915 Australians were fighting at Gallipoli and he was posted as a reinforcement to the 27th Infantry Battalion. When he reached the campaign area the AIF was readying to move to France. His civilian job as a Telephone Inspector saw him transferred to the 2nd Division Signals Company and like many of his comrades he suffered wounds and disease. On the evening of 15/9/1917 a heavy artillery barrage cut all the telephone wires in the vicinity of Birr Cross Roads, near Ypres. Sergeant Russell entered the barrage and moved from break to break, repairing them as he went, enabling communications to remain open. During the period 11-22 September 1917 his “behaviour under heavy shell fire was an example of the greatest value”. For his remarkable courage he was awarded the Military Medal.
He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant shortly afterwards and in August 1918 near Villers-Bretonneux earned the Military Cross for “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during an attack. He was out day and night for seventy-two hours during heavy hostile area shoots, maintaining lines between group head-quarters and the group’s batteries. His untiring efforts enabled the artillery to give the closest support to the infantry during their final assembly and ultimate successful advance.”
In 1935 he was awarded a King’s Jubilee Medal for special services to the PMG. Percy’s son, Alex Russell, would proudly watch his father march on ANZAC Day and at the end of the march Percy would remove his medals so as not to stand out from other soldiers. During World War Two he re-enlisted (S42764) and served within Australia. After his death his obituary was written by renowned soldier Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Holm Watson.
Percy Russell was from a generation of remarkable South Australians who served the nation in war and in peace and was strongly involved with his family, the RSL, Legacy and sport.
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