HURFORD, Percy
| Service Number: | 2668 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Chard, England, June 1892 |
| Home Town: | Dubbo, Dubbo Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | 22 April 1958, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | New South Wales Garden of Remembrance (Rookwood Necropolis) |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2668, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2668, 54th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2668, 54th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 17 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2668, 54th Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Gassed severe | |
| 17 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2668, 3rd Machine Gun Company, 2nd MD |
Help us honour Percy Hurford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Lee Perry, Australia and New Zealand in WWI
Pte PERCY WILLIAM HURFORD
I have been researching my Great Granduncle who was one of four brothers who went off to war.
I have discovered the following information and was disappointed to find his memorial plaque doesn’t reference his WW1 service. I have asked the memorial gardens to have it edited to acknowledge his service even by simply adding a permanent poppy - at my cost. The gardens declined as I am not the next of kin, yet there is no next of kin.
What I know of my Great Granduncle is this;
AIF #2668 MG 54th Battalion.
Enlisted 27/04/1916 & discharged 17/10/1919 after being WIA in France suffering severe gas poisoning on 17/04/1918.
(Only 3 months prior his older brother Hubert Henry Hurford was KIA in France, 21 January 1918)
After his discharge, Percy returned to Australia aged 27 years residing at 70 Pringle Ave, Bankstown NSW where he lived a simple life and one I believe to be of solitude, he never married or had any children. I cannot locate any records after his return to Australia, not even a census.
Percy lived to age 69, and as stated on his death certificate he died on or about 22 April 1958 from poisoning by willfully inhaling carbon monoxide where he locked the house and windows, turned on the gas stove and placed a pillow and blanket on the kitchen floor, then lay himself down to sleep.
Percy created his last Will and Testament on the 17th April 1958
He was found by a neighbour on 26/04/1958.
The memorial plaque is located on Niche Wall 170AV at Rookwood Memorial Gardens & Crematorium, Strathfield, NSW.
Sadly, I do not have any photos of Percy, nor do I know the whereabouts of his medals or if he even accepted them at all. No war memorabilia were noted in his will or probate.
Lest we Forget
Click images to start slideshow.