BAULDERSTONE, Percy Harold
| Service Number: | 744 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 September 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Broughton, South Australia, 17 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Mitcham Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Gallipoli, At sea (HS Sicilia), 2 July 1915, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Glen Osmond St Saviour's Anglican Church Memorial Stained Glass Windows & Plaques, Glen Osmond St Saviour's Anglican Church Memorial Stained Glass Windows & Plaques, GlenOsmondO3*, Kingswood 'Mitcham Remembers' Memorial Walk, Mitcham Primary School, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, The South Australian National War Memorial, Unley Arch of Remembrance, Unley Sturt Football Club WW1 Honour Roll, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 744, 12th Infantry Battalion, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 744, 12th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Sep 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 744, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Melbourne | |
| 2 Jul 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 744, 12th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
BAULDERSTONE, PALMER&PIKE
Pte. Percy Harold BAULDERSTONE, 744, 12Bn.,AIF, DOW
Pte. Raymond Roy PALMER, 433, 10Bn.,AIF, KIA
Pte. Thomas George William PALMER, 677, 10Bn.,AIF, KIA
Cpl. John Lloyd PIKE, 5054, 27Bn.,AIF
we’re all Greatgrandsons of William PIKE, who came to South Australia in 1852.
Submitted 23 September 2020 by Graham PIKE
Obituary
The Advertiser Tuesday 07 September 1915 page 9
PRIVATE BAULDERSTONE.
In the 55th casualty list, published on July 22, appeared the name of Private P.H. Baulderstone, a resident of Fullarton and a member of the Sturt football team, as having died of wounds. The date of his death was not given, but it was understood to have taken place about the end of June. The following letter, dated June 20, has been received from a soldier in the front by Private Baulderstone's father:- "Owing to the rumours in Australia regarding the wounded, we thought we would write and let you know the nature, of your son's (Percy) wound. He was assisting in carrying in the wounded from the front of our trench, and was wounded in the leg. Corporal Coleman,who is in charge of our section, and myself have just interviewed the doctor, and he told us, although the wound will take a couple of months to heal, there is absolutely no danger. I told Perc I would write you this letter and let you know full details. The whole company are very sorry to lose Perc for the time being, as he was a great favourite with all the boys."
Submitted 26 January 2016 by Daryl Jones
Biography
Son of Thomas BAULDERSTONE and Emily nee PALMER
Mother, Emily Pike Baulderstone, Fullarton Road, Fullarton, South Australia
Australian Rules Footballer for Sturt Football Club
For further reading please use links to the left of the page...
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Percy “Mick” Harold Baulderstone was born on 17th October 1889 in the quiet town of Mundoora, near Port Broughton South Australia. He was one of eight children, with five older siblings, Arthur, William, Lillian, Leslie, Olive, and two younger sisters, Winifred and Constance. Baulderstone was the son of Thomas Baulderstone and Emily Pike Palmer Baulderstone who married on 7th April 1877 and lived in Fullarton.
Baulderstone attended Mitcham Public School, South Australia and later trained as a Bricklayer. He also played football professionally for the Sturt football club and was recognised to be one of the team’s most prominent players. According to a newspaper archived in the National Library of Australia, Baulderstone delivered a speech right before the Port Adelaide versus Sturt playoff match, marking their sendoff to war.
According to his attestation paper, Baulderstone was unmarried with no children and stood 5’9”, weighed 165lbs, and had a fair complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair. He stated that his religious denomination was the Church of England and had no prior military service.
Percy Harold Baulderstone enlisted 4th of September 1914 in Morphettville, South Australia aged 24. He was assigned as a Private to the 12th Battalion, part of the 3rd Brigade, in the 1st Division and named his mother Emily Pike as his Next of Kin.
After basic training in Australia, he embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Geelong A2 on 17th September 1914.
By March 1915, they made their way to Lemnos, Harbour of Mudros, preparing for the Gallipoli campaign, where days were often long and repetitive. Lemnos was a significant location for the Allied Forces prior to the Gallipoli landings. Following this, Baulderstone was promoted to Lance Corporal one week before their landing in Anzac Cove on 25th April 1915. Upon arrival in Gallipoli at dawn, the unit faced heavy fire, according to the 12th Battalion war diary.
After 2 months of active service in Gallipoli, Baulderstone was severely wounded in his left leg whilst carrying the wounded from the front of the trench. Whilst on the Hospital Ship “Scilia” his wound became infected with gas gangrene. This was a common and often fatal condition during World War I due to unsanitary conditions and limited medical treatment. On 2nd July 1915, Baulderstone died whilst on the ship aged 25. He was 'buried' at sea. Percy Harold Baulderstone is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Adelaide National War Memorial and the Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, plus another 8 Memorial in the Unley and Glen Osmond areas.
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