Percival Semour Townsend

PERCIVAL SEYMOUR TOWNSEND

Rank: Private

Service No: 1713

Units Served: 43rd Battalion

Personal Details: Percival Seymour Townsend was born on the 5th of September 1886 in Mount Torrens . His father was Alfred Townsend and his mother was Mary Ann Mullins, he had one brother Arthur Herbert and a sister Beatrice. Before the war he was living in Lameroo where his occupation was a head miller/Commission agent. He was also a serving member of the Lameroo rifle club.

Enlistment Details:  Percival enlisted at Adelaide on the 3rd April 1916, and was appointed to the 43rd Battalion from the Morphettville Camp on the 18th April.

Details about his role in the war: He embarked from Adelaide on the 9th June 1916 on the ship HMAT Afric and disembarked on the 24th July at Southampton. On the 7th August he was taken on strength in the 11th training battalion and on the 11th November proceeded to join the 43rd Battalion. On the 15th of November he was admitted to hospital with Scabies and discharged on the 22nd of November. On the 25th November he proceeded oversees to France. On the 29th December he was admitted to the 1st Canadian Casualty clearing station with Scabies again and was transferred to the 4th Stationary hospital on the 4th January 1917 and discharged to duty on the 11th January. From the 6th of February until he  finally proceeded to France again on the 22nd May 1917 he was hospitalised with various complaints.  On the 11th of May he rejoined the 43rd battalion. He was once again admitted to hospital on the 12th July 1917 where he spent a further 52 days at the 29th General Hospital. On the 17th September he was marched out to his  unit rejoining the 43rd battalion on the 20th September 1917. On the 18th of January he went to England on leave and rejoined his battalion on the 4th of February. On the 4th of July 1918 at Hamel near Amiens he was wounded in action and died from a gunshot wound that penetrated his chest.

Death: Killed in action 04/07/1918

Memorial Details: Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, III. D. 25.

Interesting Details: Percival’s grandfather had nine grandsons, seven of whom enlisted for the war, out of those seven four of them were killed in France.

Image from the "Chronicle" 3rd August 1918 sourced through Trove.