Percy Alexander MACKAY

Badge Number: S60109, Sub Branch: St Peters
S60109

MACKAY, Percy Alexander

Service Number: 728
Enlisted: 28 August 1914
Last Rank: Lance Corporal
Last Unit: 10th Infantry Battalion
Born: Adelaide, South Australia, 1885
Home Town: Adelaide, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Fireman
Died: 9 August 1961, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia
Section: KO, Road: 11A, Site No: 72
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

28 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion
20 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''
20 Oct 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide
1 Mar 1916: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion, Was promoted to Lance Corporal.
30 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Hospitalised for influenza.
9 Aug 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, Wounded in action 4/10/17.
4 Oct 1917: Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres
26 Jul 1918: Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion, Reason for discharge: Medically unfit (not due to misconduct)
11 Nov 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 728, 10th Infantry Battalion

Help us honour Percy Alexander Mackay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College

Percy Alexander Mackay’s Biography:

Ruby Krolikowski-Angelino

 

Percy Alexander Mackay was a healthy man of average height born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1888. He had fair hair, a healthy complexion and blue eyes. He was the son of Alexander and Sarah Mackay. He lived with his mother and was part of the Church of England, presumably going to church with her every Sunday.

In later years, Mackay moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales and lived on Thomas Lane. Still single, it was then that he got a job as a fireman, before enlisting to go to war. The reason for wanting to go to war is unknown, but nonetheless, Mackay enlisted on the 28/8/1914, his service number was 728 and his rank was a Private. On the same day, he was fit for active service in Morphettville.

Mackay was twenty-six years of age when he embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on the 20/10/1914. With the 10th Battalion, he boarded the HMAT A11 Ascanius, headed for a journey he would never forget.

The ship was en route to Cairo, Egypt, where the soldiers trained. They trained in squads for a month, then spent ten days with their battalions, and the last ten days as brigades. Every day except Sunday, the young men would train eight hours a day, six days a week. All this training led to the many battles that Mackay would fight in.

On 25/4/1915, the 10th Battalion landed in what is now known as ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli. Although so many soldiers were killed in that battle, Mackay held strong. He was wounded in the foot and arm on 1/5/1915 and evacuated to Alexandria, and so missed the rest of the Gallipoli campagn. He travelled to France with his unit in early 1916 and was present at Pozieres from 30/7/16 to 13/8/16, at which point he was sent again to hospital with influenza. Temporarily moved to the 48th Bn, he was soon transferred back to the 10th on 1/12/1916.

Mackay was badly wounded by shrapnel on 2/10/17, in the legs and head. He was taken to England for treatment and recognised as unfit for further duty, so was sent to Australia where he arrived on 10/3/18. He was discharged on the 26 of July 1918. The reason for discharge was that he was pronounced medically unfit, rather than for misconduct. He collected several medals, including the 1914/15 Star Medal, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the Gallipoli Medallion.

Percy Alexander Mackay served with the Anzacs for a total of three years, three hundred and thirty-three days. His fate was returned. Mackay lived for another forty-three years, with his wife Ivy Albina Mackay, till he passed away on the 9th of August 1961, at the age of seventy-six.

Mackay was buried in West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, in Kendrew Oval, Road 11A, site 72. After his passing, his then widow, accepted the Gallipoli Medallion on his behalf.

Lest We Forget, the amazing men who fought for our country.

 

ANZAC:

Anzac stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and some qualities that the Anzacs had included: mateship, courage, endurance, discipline, initiative, ingenuity, patriotism and humour. The Anzac Spirit was the positive qualities that the Australian and New Zealand men shared, and in some cases, being a ‘true’ Australian. What it means to reflect the Anzac Spirit, is to be courageous, strong and kind of heart.

The way that Mackay reflected the Anzac Spirit, was that he was dangerously wounded multiple times, including taking shrapnel to the head. However, he showed great strength of courage and never gave up fighting for his country.

Mackay showed patriotism by standing his ground in battle and he didn’t let the pain of bullets and shrapnel get to him. He showed patriotism simply by signing up for the First World War. He did not know what he was walking into, no-one did, but still he made the proud decision to fight for his country. Outstanding endurance was shown because of the horrible situations that he was placed in. The battles he fought, the injuries he obtained, the memories he would have kept with him. All these things were withstood and faced head-on.

Mackay showed true spirit by trying his absolute hardest whilst fighting in the war. He survived almost four years of hardship, pain, suffering and trauma, and returned to tell the tales of his experience.

 

Bibliography:

 

Australian Red Cross Society n.d., South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau, Government of South Australia, South Australia, accessed 2 March 2019, https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/percy-alexander-mackay

 

Australian War Memorial n.d., First World War, 1914-1918, Canberra, accessed 2 March 2019, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/CN31

 

Australian War Memorial n.d., 10th Australian Infantry Battalion, Canberra, accessed 2 March 2019, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51450/

 

British War Medal 1914-20 n.d., Photograph, Australian Government: Department of Defence, accessed 14 March 2019, http://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/British-War-Medal-1914-20.asp

 

Bromfield, AJ n.d., Training camps in Egypt, Photograph, JCU Library News, accessed 24 March 2019, http://jculibrarynews.blogspot.com/2015/05/between-battles-6-soldier-as-tourist.html

 

Percy Alexander Mackay n.d., Photograph, Virtual War Memorial Australia, accessed 24 March 2019, https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/76272

 

Percy Alexander Mackay 2019, Find A Grave, accessed 23 March 2019, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160742966/percy-alexander-mackay

 

Soldiers at Morphettville racecourse n.d., Photograph, State Library of South Australia, accessed 24 March 2019, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/32/10

 

Starboard side view of the hospital ship SS Wandilla in port. Included amongst the passengers on her voyage which left Southampton for Australia on 1919-03-31 were members of the Australian Army Nursing Service who had been serving in Salonika, Greece 1919, Photograph, Australian War Memorial, accessed 14 March 2019, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P02198.008

 

The Battle of Pozieres 23 Jul - 3 Sep 1916 The Yardstick for WW1 Bombardments2018, Royal United Service Institute Queensland Incorporated, accessed 2 March 2019, http://www.rusiq.org.au/blog/event/the-battle-of-pozieres-23-jul-3-sep-1916-the-yardstick-for-wwi-bombardments/

 

The Battle of Messines 1917 2018, Army, accessed 2 March 2019, https://www.army.gov.au/battle-of-messines-1917

 

Training Camps: Egypt n.d., Following the Twenty-Second, accessed 2 March 2019, https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/training-camps-egypt/

 

Wounded men of the 3rd Division surrounded by the bodies of their dead comrades during World War One n.d., Photograph, Daily Mail, accessed 2 March 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4743812/First-World-War-Battle-Passchendaele-100-year-Australia.html

 

10 Significant Battles of The First World War 2019, Imperial War Memorial, accessed 2 March 2019, https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-significant-battles-of-the-first-world-war

 

10th Infantry Battalion n.d., Virtual War Memorial Australia, accessed 2 March 2019, https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/1

 

 

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