Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From: In Remembrance: Hungerford and Associated Families in the Great War 1914-1918

Pte John Albert Percival ('Percy') HOBBS, 
Regimental Number:   4209
Unit name:   14th Battalion, 13th Reinforcement

 Religion:   Methodist

Occupation:   Labourer

Address:   Harrow, Vic.

Age of Enlistment:   22 years and 2 months

Enlistment Date and Place:

2 August 1915, Melbourne, Vic.

Next of Kin:   Mr. William Hobbs, Douglas Post Office, via Harrow, Vic.

Rank on Enlistment:   Private

Embarkation Details:   Unit embarked from Melbourne, Vic., on board HMAT A64 Demosthenes on 29 December 1915

Rank from Nominal Roll:   Private

Unit from Nominal Roll:   4th Machine Gun Battalion

Campaigns Served:   Western Front  

War Service/Promotions:   Arrived Suez, Egypt, 31 January 1916, and was hospitalised 5 February 1916 with measles.  Rejoined unit, 4 March 1916, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt. Proceeded to join British Expeditionary Force, at Alexandria, Egypt, on 2 June 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles, France, 8 June 1916. Transferred to the Field and 4th Machine Gun Company on 29 September 1916. Hospitalised at N.Z. Stationary Hospital, Amiens, France, with an infection on 29 December 1916. He rejoined his unit 12 March 1917. John and his brother, Charles Reginald Hobbs were taken as prisoners of war (POW) on 11 April 1917, at Reincourt, during the battle at Bullecourt (a village south east of Arras). Percy was interned as a prisoner of war by the Germans at Limburg, Germany, and was repatriated to England on 10 December 1918. He was admitted to the Australian Dermatological Hospital, Bulford, Wiltshire, England from 8 May 1919 to 5 June 1919.

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Testimony of Capture from John Hobbs and others:

(Partially transcribed from the service records of John Hobbs)

'On the morning of the 11 April 1917 we launched an attack against the Hindenberg Line without artillery preparation. We were expecting support from tanks, but the only ones we saw were out of action. The German wire was not destroyed and we had to make our own way through narrow openings which were covered by machine gun fire. We held our position until our supply of bombs and ammunition was exhausted, by which time Germans had broken through on our flanks and surrounded us in large numbers. Different battalions and companies were all mixed together. Our position became absolutely hopeless. We four were not wounded. I, Private Christian R.T. saw Sergeant McCoy killed by machine gun bullets passing through his head. We saw many others killed but did not recognise them.

After capture we were in Fort McDonald, Lille, for 11 days, as 'prisoners of respite'. Here the conditions were indescribably filthy, and we were starved. We, Private Hobbs P., Private Sweetman J., are in possession of a copy of the notice of reprisal by the German Government. We were working behind the lines under our own shell fire. We, Privates Hobbs, Sweetman and Savage, were at Brebieres, from 21 April 1917 to 8 June 1917 working on dugouts, guns pits and ammunition dumps. We were only a short distance from 4731 Webb, 2695 Toll, 2515 McEntee and 4 McCoy, when they were killed by our own shell fire. We, Privates Hobbs and Sweetman, were harvesting at Orchies (Northern France) from 8 June 1917 to 27 July 1917. We were at Monchecourt  from 27 July 1917 to 27 August 1917, at Bellevue, (2 weeks) and at Aniche, 17 September 1917 to 23 October 1917. I, Private Hobbs, went to Mons Hospital, in a very low condition from hard work and starvation. I remained here until 3 November 1918. ............ When the Armistice (11 November 1918) was signed Private Hobbs was at Maransart, Belgium. We were cared for by the kind Belgians. We arrived at Calais on 7 December 1918 and crossed to Dover, England.' Signed by Private P. Hobbs, Private A. A. Savage, Private R. T. Christian, and Private J. Sweetman.

Notes relating to above testimony:

(1)  Lille is in northern France

(2)  Brebieres is in the Pas-de-Calais region, North France, east of Arras

(3)  guns pits - were pits for machine guns

(4) Privates Savage, Christian and Sweetman were on their way to Germany at Liege when the Armistice was signed.

Fate:   Returned to Australia per HT Frankfurt, 1 July 1919. He married Minnie Agnes McClure,

31 August 1920, Balmoral, Vic.

Place of Death:   20 June 1974, Hamilton, Vic.

Place of Burial:   Harrow, Vic,

Medals/Citations:   British War Medal; Victory Medal

War Memorial/Honour Roll:   Harrow War Memorial, Harrow, Vic