Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Wilfred Joseph Pearn was born in Adelaide on the 26th of June 1898. He lived in the City of Unley with his mother Ada Pearn, brother Lewis Pearn and father, Joseph Pearn. The Great War came whilst he was working as a Chemist Assistant. He decided to enlist in the A.I.F. at the age of 18 and 4 months. He had been rejected previously due to ‘fits.’

Pearn embarked from Adelaide on the HMAT Ballarat, landing in Devonport, England. After training in England, he embarked at Folkstone and landed France where he was sent to Etaples and Taken on Strength with the 32nd Battalion. He fought his first battle with the Battalion in the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages. He then went on leave to the United Kingdom. On his return from leave, Pearn fought in the Second Battle of Bullecourt. He then fought in the horrific Battle of Polygon Wood. After the Battle of Polygon Wood, Pearn was recommended for the Military Medal but only received a Mention in Corps Orders:

"At Gapard near Warneton, on 29th November 1917, Private Pearn displayed great courage and devotion to duty. During a hostile bombardment of our front line with trench mortars our telephone lines were cut. Private Pearn volunteered to carry urgent messages to Battalion headquarters asking for retaliation across an overland gap of about 200 yards. He crossed the gap under very heavy machine gun and rifle fire, delivered the message and returned to his company. By his action our guns were able to fire on the enemy position and silence his trench mortars." 

Pearn then went on leave for a well-deserved rest. He was called up to fight in the German Spring Offensive of 1918. During this battle, Private Pearn was wounded in action on the Western Front in Belgium on the 21st of March 1918 with a shrapnel wound in the left eye, head, and shoulder. He was transferred to various hospitals and eventually transferred to England and 3rd Australian General Hospital. He returned to duty several weeks later and served out the war before falling ill with influenza in November 1918, and shortly after that with cataracts (which may have been a result of his earlier wound). Pearn was repatriated from the United Kingdom still with an eye injury, but he was recovering well disembarked home. He was then discharged from the 4 Military District.

Wilfred Pearn was lucky to have made it home despite fighting in the most horrific battles of the Western Front. Private Pearn passed away in Adelaide at the age of 73 on the 8th of September 1971. He was cremated at Centennial Park, Adelaide.