S3278
WALD, Percy Britten
| Service Number: | 980 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | St. Peter's College, Hackney |
| Occupation: | Bank Accountan |
| Died: | Circumstances of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Naval Military and Air Force Club of SA - Medal Room, Hackney St Peter's College Honour Board, Sydney Reserve Bank of Australia (Commonwealth Bank) Honor Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 980, 43rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 980, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Honoured Military Cross, Battle of Messines, See linked stories | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 43rd Infantry Battalion |
Awarded the Military Cross for actions at Messines
'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He rallied and organized his company at a moment when they were suffering haeavily from a continuous bombardment, leading them through a hostile barrage to a successful assault on the enemy's position. Throughout the night he continued to supervise the consolidation, and it was owing to his determination and energy that by daylight his company was entrenched and prepared to withstand the hostile counter attack.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 219
Date: 20 December 1917
Submitted 29 July 2024 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Virtual Australia
Percy Britten Wald was a 27-year-old accountant with the Commonwealth Bank in Melbourne when he enlisted on 18 October 1915. Wald was from a banking family: from 1873 his father, James Irvine Wald, held various positions in banking in South Australia, which culminated in the role of Manager of the Bank of New South Wales at Port Adelaide. His older brother, Gavin Flett Wald, who enlisted in 1918, also worked at the Commonwealth Bank and would rise to become the Manager of the Commonwealth Bank at Hobart. Percy Wald himself had been one of the first to enter the service of the Commonwealth Bank in Adelaide and had also worked at Broken Hill and Melbourne by the time of his enlistment.
Wald enlisted in the 43rd Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force as a Private and steadily rose to the rank of Lieutenant through his hard work and devotion to duty. It was these qualities that resulted in him being awarded the Military Cross in August 1917 for his part in the Battle of Messines. Despite continuous bombardment, numerous casualties and disaster seeming imminent, Wald was able to rally his men and lead them through the barrage in a successful assault on the enemy's position. Throughout the night he worked to continually encourage and support his exhausted men so that when daylight came the Company was in a well-consolidated position and prepared to withstand the counterattack.
For the rest of his active service, Wald remained with the 43rd Infantry Battalion. He spent 1917 in the trenches around Flanders, fighting not only in the Battle of Messines but also in the Third Battle of Ypres in October 1917. The latter straddled the border between France and Belgium and included the well-known battlefields of Ypres, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle and Passchendaele.
In the final months of the war, Wald was transferred for duty with the Commonwealth Bank in London, remaining there until the end of the war. On his return to Australia in May 1919, Wald resumed his position at the Commonwealth Bank and married Dorothy Le Messurier. Over the course of his career at the Bank, Wald rose to become the Manager of the Malvern branch in Victoria.
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