The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (7772) Private John Albert Knox Perry, 1st Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (7772) Private John Albert Knox Perry, 1st Battalion, AIF, First World War.

7772 Private John Albert Knox Perry, 1st Battalion, AIF
DOW 24 August 1918
No photograph in collection

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private John Albert Knox Perry, who died while serving in the First World War.

John Perry was born in 1867, the son of James and Isabella Perry of Grandville, Sydney. He was home-schooled and afterwards lived and worked in the Monaro region, where he completed an apprenticeship as a compositor for the Bombala Times under the guidance of C.L. Tweedie. A deeply religious man, he worked as a compositor until 1904, when he became a home missionary with the Methodist Church.

Reverend Perry never married, but dedicated his life to preaching Christianity to a host of regional communities throughout New South Wales. A friend described him as a “sky pilot … One of God’s good men who was not bound down to one creed, but believed in the Brotherhood of Man”. He was also deeply patriotic and committed to the defence for Australia and the rest of the British Empire during the war years. According to the local newspaper, “the fire of patriotism was strong within him, and in spite of a not too sturdy physique, he longed to doff the clerical garb … and give physical battle to the unholy Hun”.

Perry tried enlisting five times before he was finally accepted in September 1917. Aged 50, he did not meet the recruiting standards for the Australian Imperial Force, but lied about his age in order to enlist. After a period of training he embarked several months later with a reinforcement group for the 1st Battalion. He spent several more months training in England before embarking for France, joining the 1st Battalion in June 1918 as it rested in the village of Sercus near Hazebrouck.

By this time Australian troops had helped blunt the German offensive in northern France, the line had stabilised, and British troops were preparing to deliver their own counter-blow that would ultimately defeat the German army on the Western Front.

Beginning near Villers-Bretonneux in August 1918, the 1st Battalion participated in the Allied offensive that penetrated deeply into German occupied territory. It passed through Proyart three weeks later and attacked German positions north of Chuignolles on 23 August 1918, during which John was wounded in the stomach by fragments from an exploding German shell. After passing through a number of aid posts and dressing stations, Perry was admitted to the 53rd Casualty Clearance Station near Villers-Bretonneux, where he succumbed to his wounds the following day. He was buried at the Daours Communal Cemetery Extension.

Perry’s death was felt deeply by the communities in which he had preached, particularly in the remote communities on the Manning River. A letter that appeared in the local newspaper at the time gave voice to the region’s grief:

There will be many a tear shed, and many a big bushman’s heartfelt sorrow and grief will be expressed … when the news is brought to the homes of the bush folk who knew the man for his worth, and ever found in him a sympathetic friend
He was remembered as “a sincere and warm-hearted friend – not only in the bright sunny days of prosperity, but when the shadows of adversity hung over us”.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 others from the First World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is just one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private John Albert Knox Perry, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Aaron Pegram
Historian, Military History Section