Percy and Lionel: Two Local Heroes

Last Sunday marked the Centenary of the Armistice. The ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was very moving, but no more than the deeply moving ceremony at St Patrick's College for Girls last Friday. A number of stories of soldier's experiences in the Great War were told by the students of St Pats, who had family connections to soldiers, and many a tear was shed. The girls did their school proud. They inspired me to do some research into some of the area's own soldiers and I came across two brothers whose story I had previously been unaware of. Most of their story comes from Lauren Hokin's comprehensive book "ANZACS of Macarthur".

Percy McDonald was 26 when he enlisted in the AIF. He was living in Atchinson Road, Macquarie Fields. Percy was joined by his brother Lionel, who signed up the following day. They both left Sydney on the 8th of October 1915. Things started to go wrong immediately after they arrived in Egypt, when Percy was admitted to hospital with mumps. In June the following year their battalion proceeded from Egypt to the Western Front in France. Shortly after arriving in the frontlines, they participated in action during the horrific Battle of Fromelles. Tragedy was to strike between the 19th and 20th July when Lionel was reported missing in action. Despite his brother's disappearance, Percy had to continue with his duty. Percy and his family hoped against hope for any news. Percy survived Fromelles and by August 1916 had been promoted to Sergeant. Sickness was to follow, including hydrocele and later hospitalization from a hernia from an undescended testicle. On the 4th of May, he was sent back to Australia for home service. He was later considered medically unfit and discharged in August 1917.

Percy McDonald (National Archives of Australia

Percy returned with his new bride to the Ingleburn area. They lived in a house in Fawcett Street, Glenfield named Tillicoultry. At the time, the McDonalds received news that a Court of Enquiry had concluded that Lionel was killed in action in July 1916. Witnesses stated that they had seen him lying dead in the German first line trench. This resulted in years of correspondence and paperwork that had to be filled out and forwarded to the army and other institutions. In 1921 Percy contacted the army and requested that all correspondence be sent to him, as it was "opening old wounds" and he feared for his father's health.

Percy decided to take up arms again in the Second World War! His twin brother Ernest signed up in 1942 and Percy joined him a week later. He was appointed Lieutenant of the 11th NSW Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps. He resigned the following year.

Percy was a keen artist and his unique drawings and paintings were often seen on exhibition. He passed away on the 18th of May 1964. The location of Lionel's remains are unknown.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

HOLKIN, Lauren 2016
ANZACS of Macarthur: the men and women who served in The First World War
Campbelltown: Veterans Recreation Centre

"Bullah" Vardy

It's difficult to imagine the horror that William Carroll Vardy, better known as "Bullah", went through during the First World War. Like many that joined up from Campbelltown, the young man would never return the same person who first left the town.

William Carroll Vardy was born in Campbelltown in 1891 to Michael and Mary Ellen Vardy. He was the youngest of 12 children. "Bullah" was 24 and working as a bank officer when he decided to answer the call to join the war. His older brother Joe had served in the Boer War.

"Bullah" joined the 13th Reinforcements, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade in August 1915. He would eventually leave from Western Australia bound initially for Egypt and then to France where he was involved in action at Poizieres and later Ypres in Belgium.

Fortunately, "Bullah" kept a diary of his experiences on the Western Front. They provide us with an insight into what conditions he would've experienced in the trenches. One passage reads:

"Last night was hell . . . our boys again attacking and the casualties were heavy. Was buried by a big shell in my dugout.  Men close by killed . . . a sniper shot at me and only missed by a few inches, but got poor chap behind me. Trenches full of dead and wounded."

"Bullah" survived the war but was released on medical grounds and he returned to Australia in 1919. He rejoined the bank, married a local girl named Rita and settled at "Carmel" in Patrick Street. He and Rita produced four children. Sadly, and understandably, the horrors of the war seemed to affect him for the rest of his life. He died in 1971.

I will be speaking about "Bullah" Vardy on ANZAC Day at 1.30pm at the meeting of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society at Glenalvon at 8 Lithgow Street, Campbelltown. Visitors are welcome.

 

 

"Bullah" and his wife Rita in later years (Photo courtesy of Chris Thomson)

 

 

William Henry Etchells

"I only hope it is all a great mistake". This line jumped out at me as I scrolled through the service record of Harry Etchells, a soldier from Campbelltown who died on the Western Front in 1917. Amongst all the formal documents and official wording of the correspondence between the Base Records Office and Harry's sister Rubie Etchells, it was this line from Rubie that brought home to me the personal tragedy of war. As ANZAC Day approaches, I thought I would briefly tell the story of one of Campbelltown's brave men that never returned.

William Henry Etchells, better known as Harry, was the son of Harry and Nellie Etchells who lived at Eckersley about 1890. When his mother died in 1894, Harry and his sister were raised by relatives in Campbelltown.

William Henry Etchells (on right) with an unidentified friend during the First World War. (Clive "Oke" Etchell Collection).

Harry enlisted in the First World War in 1914, reaching the rank of lance-corporal in the 3rd Battalion. He suffered greatly from sickness and injury during his service. At Gallipoli he was evacuated with shell concussion and he suffered a gunshot wound in France in 1916. In England, he married a woman called Florence. He returned to the front in 1917 where he was badly wounded after losing both his legs and died soon afterwards. Unfortunately for his sister Rubie and the rest of the family there was no mistake.

W.H.Etchells' grave in Hooque Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium. (Clive "Oke" Etchell Collection).

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

McGill, Jeff    2001
Campbelltown & World War One 1914-1918
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Arthur Hill

Arthur Samuel Hill was born locally in 1893. A Leumeah signwriter, he enlisted in the 33rd Batallion in June 1917. On the 3rd of April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneaux in France, he was brushing his clothes when a shell landed close to him and wounded him in the thigh and shoulder. He was taken to the aid post 200 yards away but Arthur's life could not be saved and he died of his wounds two days later. His mate Private England described him as "a very nice chap about 22 or 23, dark." Private Hill was one of the many Campbelltown soldiers never to return from an overseas war. He was buried at St Sever Cemetery at Rouen in France.

Written by Andrew Allen