RIGBYE, PERCY A labourer from Zeehan Tasmania he embarked Hobart 20th October 1914 on board “HMAT Geelong” with the 12th Infantry Battalion. He was reported missing on the day of the landing at Gallipoli which was later changed to killed in action 25th April 1915 and is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey. FATE OF PRIVATE PERCY RIGBYE STILL NO TRACE The following letter touching on the whereabouts of Private Percy Rigbye of Zeehan, who has been officially reported as missing, will be of interest to his many friends Private Sam Smith, an ex-Zeehanite, under date of / /15 writing from Gallipoli to his mother, says — “Received your letter dated July 23. I had begun to think you had not got my cards till you said you had received one. I have written at least once a fortnight, but a certain percentage of letters are delayed for censorship at the base in order to see if they are properly censored before they leave here. Will you tell Mrs Dale that I am writing to her. I heard George was killed, but could not find out when or where. I have given Percy Rigbye up as dead, for when we landed on the 25th we were in the same boat. Morris and myself were the last out, and the bullets were plopping into the water like a handful of stones thrown into a pond. We reached the beach where we lost two men, and I had to wade out to the boat again for two picks and three shovels. When I got back the rest had gone away to the left, except Percy and another, who were carrying ammunition. When we got to the top of the ridge Percy was by himself; the fire got so hot that we had to crawl behind a bank. I sang out to him to come over to us he left the ammunition and started towards us, but when I looked again he was nowhere to be seen, so I think he must have been shot, for the Turks did not drive us back from our position, and so were unable to take any of our wounded as prisoners. It was the hottest thing I ever hoped to be in, all day the bullets and shrapnel rained thick and fast, and we were wondering when our turn would come, and I had just made up my mind that we were safe until the next morning, when I felt something hit my leg I had a look, but could see nothing, except a tear, so I put my finger in and saw it bleeding. I crawled back to Dr. Forster, and he dressed it, but it was not painful, so went up the hill again, where I met Claude Street with a broken arm. I reached my old place without a mishap, but had not been there long when the leg went dead, and I could hardly move it, but I got back to the beach alright, except for a few nasty falls, one of which gave my right shoulder a twist. Three weeks in hospital satisfied me, for I thought we would miss the fall of Constantinople if we did not hurry back, but the end is a good way ahead yet, I suppose. The latest war news here seems to point to the Germans running into a trap, and I expect the Russians will give them more than they want. Zeehan and Dundas Herald 26th April 1916
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:42:46 +0000
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