Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Percival was the son of Reverend John MURRAY & Hannah ASPLIN and was born on the 16th of October 1891 in Southwark, SA.

His parents were married on the 21st of May 1885 at Hannah’s mothers residence, Morphett Vale, SA.

His father was the son of William MURRAY & Janet Lockhardt HOPKIN and was born on the 24th of July 1859 in Mt Barker, SA.
His mother was the daughter of Jacob ASPLIN & Mary RICHMOND and was born on the 14th of December 1861 in Yankalilla, SA.

Percival was the third child born into the family of 5 children.

His father was a student pastor at Southwark and was attending the Baptist College, as a student for the ministry, when Percival was born.

He father was ordained in January 1894 and the family remained in Southwark until May 1897 when his father accepted an invitation from the Peterborough Church.

They stayed in the railway town until October 1902, when they moved to Beryl Street,
Broken Hill, NSW.

In 1905 Percy was fined 5s for playing football with his mate in a public street.
After a pastorate of more than six years, in the silver city, his father removed the family to Kapunda in January, 1909.

After his schooling Percival gained employment as a Locomotive Engine Cleaner.

At the age of 25, Percival enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 16th of January 1917 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 1364 and posted to “B” Company in Mitcham Camp. He was then posted to the Railway Unit, Section 4 and transferred to Royal Park Camp.

Percival embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 11th of May 1917. He served in France and England and embarked from England on board HMAT Port Denison on the 25th of September 1919, disembarking in Melbourne on the 13th of November and entrained to Adelaide.

Percival was discharged from the AIF on the 19th of December 1919.

Percival married Thelma Lily SCHROEDER on the 27th of January 1923 in the Baptist Church, Broken Hill, NSW.
Thelma was the daughter of Frederick Ferdinand SCHROEDER & Marion MAREING and was born on the 17th of April 1901 in Queenstown, SA.

They welcomed their first child; Gordon Seymour, on the 17th of March 1924 in Broken Hill and then by 1929 they had moved to 36 Bourke Street, Peterborough and Percival was employed as a Locomotive Fireman.

Donald Bruce Seymour was then born on the 2nd of November 1929, followed by Ian Peter on the 21st of December 1931.
In 1939 Gordon came 3rd in the South Australian ANZAC Day essay.

Their son Reginald enlisted into the 7th Field Bakery (SX39381) on the 14th of November 1943.

Thelma died suddenly on the 27th of October 1944 in the Peterborough Hospital and Percival buried her in the Peterborough Cemetery.

Percival moved to 79 Henry Street, West Croydon in 1955 and became a member of the West Croydon RSL Sub-Branch.
He later married Elsa Alice Evelyn PENNY nee WARNER.
Elsa was the daughter of Henry Hudson WARNER & Mary Ann HOLDER and was born on the 12th of October 1899 in Hyde Park, SA.

Elsa had previously married John Robert PENNY on the 12th of October 1918 and they had 2 daughters before John died on the 16th of March 1944.

Percival’s son, Dr DBS MURRAY was living in Pinnaroo in the 60’s, so this may be why Percival and Elsa moved to Pinnaroo in their later years.

Elsa died on the 1st of December 1975 and Percival buried her in the Pinnaroo Cemetery; Traditional, Row J, Plot 1069.

Percival died on the 28th of May 1977 and was buried 3 days later in the Pinnaroo Cemetery; Traditional, Row J, Plot 1060.

Military

At the age of 25, Percival enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 16th of January 1917 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 1364 and posted to “B” Company in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his father, Rev. John Murray, of Norton Summit, as his next of kin.

He was then posted to “A” Company after four weeks and then to the Railway Unit, Section 4, on the 16th of February.
He was then transferred to Royal Park Camp, Victoria on the 23rd and on the 8th of March they received instructions to embark from Port Melbourne so all kit and equipment was transferred.
But at the last moment their embarkation was cancelled and they returned to Royal Park Camp on the 10th.

Two weeks later they were transferred to Broadmeadows Camp until the 11th of May when they received definite orders to embark
Reveille was at 3.30am and they entrained from Broadmeadows at 5am for Port Melbourne.

Percival embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 11th of May 1917 at 1.15pm and arrived in Fremantle Harbour four days later. The troops were not permitted off the troopship and on the 22nd of May they steamed to Rottnest Island.
They reach Mauritius on the 5th of June and then Durban on 12th where they were able to go ashore for 5 days.
On the 4th of July they arrived at Sierra Leone and after taking on coal and water they weighed anchor three days later.

On the 19th of July they safely anchored in Plymouth Harbour at 8am.
They disembarked and were entrained to St Lucia Barracks in Bordon, Hampshire where the Australian Railways Operating Division (A.R.O.D) was located.
On arrival they were placed into isolation due to the Mumps epidemic that had broken out on board the troopship.

Whilst here, Percival’s Unit was redesignated as the 35th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company.
They proceeded to France on the 4th of October at 7.10pm, disembarking in Le Havre the following morning at 6.15am.
They were then entrained to Rouen and then driven 255 kilometres in vans to Audruicq Camp, arriving on the 11th of October.

They remained here for all of November and December and were engaged in workshops, shunting and fatigue duty until they entrained for Peronne on the 1st of January 1918.
January and February were spent here building the new railway depot at Omiecourt.
By the end of March their Company had been renumbered as the 4th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company and they had moved back to Audruicq.

They remained at Audruicq and were employed in shed and main lines work until a Depot was found for them. This Depot was Dunkerque Docks and included the Triage Shunting Yard, Ambulance Trains and the Maritime Coudekerque Yards and they moved there on the 26th of April.

They were in control of all the shunting in the area and in June they built huts and accommodation at Mardyck to accommodate the whole Company for the men’s safety.
From July to November their workload increased and every day they shunted and moved troops, coal and wounded.
The Armistice was signed on the 11th of November and 4 days later, Percival gained 2 weeks leave to Paris and then on his return he was granted another 2 weeks leave to England on the 1st of December.

On his last day of leave Percival was admitted into the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield on the 15th, suffering from a hernia.
Two days later he was transferred to the 1st Australian Dressing Station in Bulford with a Venereal Disease and then another two days later he was discharged to the Convalescent Training Depot in Parkhouse.

Percival spent Christmas 1918 here and then on the 9th of March 1919 he was admitted sick into the Bexhill Military Hospital, where he remained until the 20th and was then granted 4 days leave.

On the 13th of May Percival was transferred from the Convalescent Training Depot in Parkhouse to No.3 Group in Codford and after 3 weeks here he was transferred back to the Training Depot in Parkhouse.
On the 3rd of July Percival was granted leave with pay for 2 months and attended the Westinghouse Brake & Saxby Signal Company in London.

Percival embarked from England on board HMAT Port Denison on the 25th of September 1919, disembarking in Melbourne on the 13th of November and entrained to Adelaide.
Percival was discharged from the AIF on the 19th of December 1919 and awarded the British War and Victory Medals.