Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Henry Francis Perry was born on the 1st of January 1899 in Sydney, New South Wales <1>. He lived with his parents Francis Henry Perry and May Perry on Algernon St, Oatley, for most of his childhood and later moved to 165 Trafalgar St, Annandale before enlisting into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at the age of 17 <2>.

Henry Francis Perry attended Sydney Technical High School at age 12 in 1911 until he joined the army at age 17 <3>. During his time at Sydney Technical High School, Perry became skilled as a motor mechanic and engineer <4>. On the 9th of January 1916, he applied for enlistment at the Victoria Barracks in NSW, where he stated that he was 19 years old when he was actually 17 years old. However, Perry got rejected due to being medically unfit from eyesight issues, which meant he failed to enlist <5>. Nevertheless, he attempted to enlist again 7 months later on 31 July 1916 at Victoria Barracks, now stating that his age was 22. This time, he passed his medical examination and was accepted for enlistment in the AIF <6>. Perry’s name was listed on the Evening News that same day under the title “Sunday’s enrollments” <7>.

Henry Francis Perry embarked on the HMAT Afric (A19) from Sydney on the 3rd of November 1916 due for Plymouth, England. Onboard, Perry became sick on the 14th of December and was moved to the ship’s hospital until the 2nd of January 1917. On the 9th of January, the ship arrived at Plymouth after journeying for two months at sea <8>.

After arriving at Plymouth, Perry joined the 6th Training Battalion at Larkhill where he undertook the role of Acting Corporal, supervising fellow soldiers and assisting others in training. This temporary promotion was likely due to the fact that he displayed qualities such as leadership and maturity. 19 days later, on the 28th of January, he reverted back to his rank as a private. During this time and up until the 28th of March, he underwent training in preparation to fight on the Western Front. This training covered both military skills and discipline, necessary for order and fighting against enemies <9>. 

From the 28th of March to the 3rd of April in 1917, Perry travelled from his training camp at Larkhill to the 2nd Australian Divisional Base Depot A.D.B.D at Etaples, France. By the 7th of April, Perry had joined the 21st Infantry Battalion in Becourt, France in the 17th reinforcements. From that day until the 3rd of May, Henry Francis Perry along with the 21st Infantry Battalion went through daily training in preparation for battle as well as road building which was also needed during World War 1 <10>. 

On the 3rd of May 1917, the 5th and 6th Brigade (including the 21st Infantry Battalion) of the 2nd Division of the AIF and the British 62nd Division launched an attack on Bullecourt, named the Second Battle of Bullecourt <11>. The battle started at 3:45 AM when the Australian artillery barrage opened and the attack on the Hindenburg line commenced <12>. During the length of this battle, there were more than 7400 Australian casualties and injuries as a result of capturing part of the Hindenburg line <13>.

On this day Perry was killed, where he was reported Missing in Action. A fellow soldier named H.G.Woodley graphically depicted his death, stating that, “On the 3rd May, just before we went over at Bullecourt, I saw a shell burst just where Perry was standing in the trench, about 20 yards from me. He was killed outright.” <14> Even though Perry died only moments into his first battle, he strongly displayed the ANZAC spirit through courage, determination and sacrifice. This is shown through his bold decision to enlist underage repeatedly and his leadership by undertaking the role of Acting Corporal during training.

In a court of enquiry 7 months later on the 24th of November, the statement that Henry Francis Perry was Missing in Action was updated to Killed in Action <15>. Two years later, Perry’s father sent letters to the Missing Soldiers Department, repeatedly appealing for evidence that Perry had been killed in war. However, the officer could not provide any evidence supporting that Perry was indeed killed, but ensured that the statement was correct <16>. 

For his military service, Perry received the British War Medal and Victory Medal for serving in a theatre of war during 1914 to 1918 <17>. His has no known grave, but is commemorated at the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll of Honour and the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial <18>. 

End Notes

1. Virtual War Memorial Australia, PERRY, Henry Francis:
2. Australian Imperial Force Project (2025), Henry Franics PERRY: 
3. Virtual War Memorial Australia, PERRY, Henry Francis: 
4. National Archives of Australia (1914-1920), (B2455) PERRY HENRY FRANCIS, p.1: 
5. National Archives of Australia (1916), (MT1486/1) PERRY/HENRY FRANCIS, p.1: 
6. National Archives of Australia (1914-1920), (B2455) PERRY HENRY FRANCIS, p.30: 
7. Evening News (31st July 1916), Page 6, Sunday’s Enrollments: 
8. Image 02 WW1 Honour Board Soldier Files, Ken Stevenson, Research on Google Drive: 
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Australian War Memorial (2025), Second Battle of Bullecourt: 
12. Australian War Memorial (2025), (AWM4 23/38/21) Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War, 21st Infantry Battalion, p.3: 
13. Australian War Memorial (2025), Second Battle of Bullecourt: 
14. Australian War Memorial (2025), Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files, Henry Francis Perry, p.2, 4: 
15. Image 03 WW1 Honour Board Soldier Files, Ken Stevenson, Research on Google Drive: 
16. National Archives of Australia (1914-1920), (B2455) PERRY HENRY FRANCIS, p.21-22, 26-27: 
17. Australian Imperial Force Project (2025), Henry Franics PERRY: 
18. Virtual War Memorial Australia, PERRY, Henry Francis: