Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Percy Justice Gardiner was a clerk, from Brighton Beach Vic. He was born on the 9th June 1894, and was aged 20 years and 5 months upon enlistment in January 1915, and embarked with the HQ unit of the 23rd Bn in May 1915.

Flying Officer Percy Justice Gardiner was one of many of these ex AIF men who continued his service with the RAF after the war. He died in an aircraft accident in Pakistan in 1922. Gardiner, during his service with the AIF, had proceeded to Gallipoli on the 30 August 1915, aboard the "Southland", the ship was torpedoed near Lemnos and survivors rescued, and he was eventually taken on strength of the 23rd Battalion at Anzac 7 September 1915, serving until the evacuation. He was wounded in action in France after a raid in July 1916, and was evacuated to England with shrapnel wound to the left buttock and scalp. When he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in November 1916, his application signed and endorsed by Lt. Colonel William Brazenor, CO 23rd Bn, states "The above soldier has an excellent record of 18 months service with the Battalion. He is ambitious to join the higher branch of the service, and will in my opinion of his qualifications, make good and be of greater service to the forces." Also on this form he is said to be "educated at Haileybury College and Wesley College Melbourne, passed Junior Public and Bankers Institute examinations. Knowledge of internal combustion engines."

Percy Gardiner transferred to the RFC in March 1917, was appointed Flying Officer in May 1917, and was sent to France and operations with No.20 Squadron in early June 1917, and was wounded whilst flying with the RAF on the 15 June 1917, a gunshot wound to the neck, and the bullet lodged in the sternocleidomastoid muscle of his neck, from a round which had passed through the radiator of his machine, a second bullet entered the upper posterior extremities of his left arm, and both bullets were extricated the same day, at the 2nd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. Gardiner was evacuated to England and was sent to the RAF Station Cologne, Germany after the war. He was given a permanent Commission in the RAF from August 1919, and joined No.60 Squadron in India in December 1920. He was later killed in a flying accident at Risalpur, now part of Pakistan, in a DH10, on the 31 January 1922.

A letter from the Air Ministry to his father stated " With reference to the Air Ministry letter of the 6th ultimo, I am directed to inform you that, according to the written report from the Air Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force, India, it would appear that Flying Officer P.J.Gardiner and an observer were engaged in a test flight at Risalpur on the 31st January 1922, flying a De.Havilland 10 No.E7839. The machine took off at 1040 hours and climbed to about 500 feet, at which height, apparently, the port engine "cut out". The machine turned to the left and at the same time the nose dropped and the machine went into a spin. It completed one turn and then crashed to the earth on the far edge of the aerodrome. Flying Officer Gardiner, it is regretted, being killed instantaneously. I am told that your son was buried in Risalpur Cemetery; Plot A, Row 2, Grave No.33 on the 1st February 1922. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, J Melham.”

Percy Gardiner had a brother, who enlisted in 1918, 68889 Private T.N.W. Gardiner, born in July 1899. He embarked from Australia during October 1918, too late to see any action. Thomas Norman William Gardiner served in the RAAF from June 1942 till March 1946 and attained the rank of Flying Officer.