FREEMAN, Percy
| Service Number: | 2509 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 27 January 1893 |
| Home Town: | Parramatta, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Carter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 18 May 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Grevillers British Cemetery Plot III, Row A, Grave No. 15. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 15 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2509, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2509, 54th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2509, 54th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney |
Help us honour Percy Freeman's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Percy Freeman was one of four brothers who enlisted in the AIF. One of them, 1897 Pte. Herbert Freeman, 57th Battalion AIF, died as a prisoner of war of the Germans on 14 August 1917, aged 28.
Percy married in 1916 to Mary Jane (Minnie) and he was father to a son.
Percy Freeman joined his unit in France on New Years Day 1917. He had only been at the front for four months when he was badly wounded near Bullecourt on 11 May 1917, and died a week later.
From his Red Cross file “He was in C. Coy, 12th Platoon, called "Percy". I saw him hit by shrapnel near Sunken Road, just before we went in to the R of Noreuil (Bullecourt) on May 13th(?). He was carried away on a stretcher and was conscious at the time. He was hit near the spine. Later we had word at the Battalion that he had died. I don't know where he was buried.”
“Pte. Freeman was admitted on May 11th suffering from wounds in back and right arm. The wounds had reached the kidneys. He was operated on. He was doing pretty well till 18th of May, when he haemorrhaged twice and passed away between 8 and 9 p.m. He died quite peacefully. He left no messages, he expressed a great desire to get back to Australia, this was prior to the haemorrhages. Buried at Grevillers. Letter from The Chaplain 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station.”
Click images to start slideshow.