Sergeant Samuel George Pearse

Service number	2870, 133002
Ranks Held	Private, Sergeant
Birth Date	16/07/1897
Birth Place	United Kingdom: Wales
Death Date	29/08/1919
Death Place	Russia: North Russia, Emtsa
Final Rank	Sergeant
Service	Australian Imperial Force
Units	1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion 2nd Australian Machine Gun Company 45th Battalion Royal Fusiliers 45th Bn RF (1st MG Bn)
Places	Emtsa Penarth Wales
Conflicts/Operations	First World War, 1914-1918 North Russia, 1919

Description

Sam Pearse (1897-1919) came to Victoria from Wales when only young. He enlisted in the AIF before he had turned 18. After brief service on Gallipoli with the 7th Battalion, he went to the Western Front, where he saw a lot of action and was awarded the Military Medal.

Once the war ended, Pearse married in Britain, but soon afterwards went to North Russia with the British relief force. In his heroic exploit there, he went through barbed-wire defences while under heavy machine-gun fire to attack a blockhouse. He single-handedly killed the occupants with bombs, but while fighting on he was killed. His widow and daughter later came to Australia

Collection items

Rolls

Commemorative Roll:

Unit

45th Battalion Royal Fusiliers

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Sergeant
Honours and Awards:

Unit

45th Bn RF (1st MG Bn)

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Sergeant
Honours and Awards:

Unit

2nd Australian Machine Gun Company

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Honours and Awards (Recommendation):

Unit

2nd Australian Machine Gun Company

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
First World War Embarkation Roll:

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private
Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files:

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Sergeant
First World War Nominal Roll:

Unit

1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion

Conflict

First World War, 1914-1918

Rank

Private

Timeline

Date of birth	16/07/1897
Date and unit at enlistment (ORs)	05/07/1915	1 Machine Gun Battalion.
Date of enlistment	05/07/1915
Date of embarkation	10/09/1915
Date of honour or award	28/09/1917	Awarded Military Medal for courage and resource on outpost duty, and services as a runner during fighting east of Ypres.
Date of recommendation honour or award	30/09/1917
Date and unit at enlistment (ORs)	1919	Enlisted in British Army, 45th Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers.
Date of death	29/08/1919
Date of discharge	18/07/1919
Date of honour or award	29/08/1919	Awarded Victoria Cross for action at North of Emtsa, North Russia whilst serving with 45 Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, Sadlier Jackson's Brigade as a Sergeant.