Duncan MCPHERSON

MCPHERSON, Duncan

Service Numbers: 150, 4565
Enlisted: 23 July 1915
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 54th Infantry Battalion
Born: Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 30 January 1862
Home Town: Port Melbourne, Port Phillip, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Stevedore / Labourer
Died: Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916, aged 54 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial
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Boxer Rebellion (China) Service

30 Jul 1900: Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, 150, SS Salamis

World War 1 Service

23 Jul 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4565, Depot Battalion
16 Feb 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4565, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: ''
16 Feb 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4565, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Sydney
19 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4565, 54th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4565 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19

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Biography contributed by Evan Evans

AWM Summary

4565 Private (Pte) Duncan McPherson, 13th Battalion, of Port Melbourne, Vic. Pte McPherson had previously served as 150 Able Seaman (AB) McPherson, Victorian Naval Contingent, in the Boxer Uprising in China. AB McPherson embarked on SS Salamis on 30 July 1900 and returned to Australia in 25 April 1901 on board SS Chingtu. He later worked as a labourer and stevedore before enlisting in the First World War. According to family stories, when he enlisted he put his age down from 52 to 42, dyed his hair with boot polish, and named the fourth of his seven children as his eldest. Pte McPherson embarked with the 14th Reinforcements, 13th Battalion, from Sydney on HMAT Ballarat on 16 December 1915. Pte McPherson transferred to the 54th Battalion and was later killed in action at Fromelles, France, on 19 July 1916. His actual age at the time of his death was 54 years. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles.

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