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BLACK, Percy Charles Herbert
Personal Details
| Service Number: | 170 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 September 1914, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Beremboke, Victoria, Australia, 12 December 1877 |
| Home Town: | Southern Cross, Yilgarn, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Beremboke State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 11 April 1917, aged 39 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Southern Cross Honour Roll, Southern Cross War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
Service History
World War 1 Service
| 8 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 170, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 170, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 170, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 170, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 7 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Major, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Bullecourt (First), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 170 awm_unit: 16 Battalion awm_rank: Major awm_died_date: 1917-04-11 |
Personal Stories
WW1
Details of this Officer are provided in the book "Just Soldiers" written by WO1 Darryl Kelly published 2004, refer chapter 3 pages 9 to 14
Submitted 30 December 2019 by Maxwell HILL
Biography contributed by Bernard Terry
Percy joined the 16th Battalion at Blackboy Hill Perth in 1914, and was in the machine gun section with his new friend, Harry Murray. They were good soldiers and went to both Gallipoli and the Western Front. Harry survived the war as a Lieutenant Colonel and was the Commonwealth's most decorated soldier. Amongst other awards he received a Victoria Cross.
Major Percy Black was killed in action in April 1917 as he led B Company, 16th Battalion at Bullecourt. Harry said of Percy: "He was the bravest man I ever knew, and I knew hundreds."
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