Percival Eric Gratwick, VC (19 October 1902 – 26 October 1942) was an Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

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forces.

Early life

Gratwick was born in Katanning, Western Australia on 19 October 1902, the fifth son of the local postmaster. Leaving school at the age of 16, he took up various jobs which included a period as a messenger at Parliament House. Later he worked as a blacksmith, a drover and a

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Second World War

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Gratwick attempted to join the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

(AIF). However, issues with his nose, which had been broken years earlier, led to the rejection of his application. In late 1940, after expensive medical treatment on his nose, he attempted to enlist again, this time successfully. Following completion of his training in July 1941, Gratwick embarked for

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, where he was assigned to the 2/48th Battalion (a

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

unit) with the rank of

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. The battalion was among the defenders of

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...

but was transferred to

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in October 1941. By June 1942, the battalion was in Egypt. On the night of 25/26 October 1942 during the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

, Egypt, the platoon to which Gratwick belonged suffered considerable casualties attacking Trig 29, including the platoon commander and sergeant. Gratwick, realising the seriousness of the situation, charged a

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machine-gun position by himself, and killed the crew with hand grenades. He also killed a mortar crew. Under heavy machine-gun fire Gratwick then charged a second post, using his rifle and bayonet. In inflicting further casualties he was killed by machine-gun fire, but his brave and determined action, for which he would be awarded a posthumous

, enabled his company to capture the final objective. Gratwick is buried in El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery, and his Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Army Museum of Western Australia The Army Museum of Western Australia is a museum located in an historic artillery barracks on Burt Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. The museum was established in 1977 and has three Victoria Crosses on display. History The Army Museum ...

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

. In

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, Western Australia, Gratwick Street, the Gratwick Aquatic Centre and the town theatre and community hall are all named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gratwick, Percival Eric 1902 births 1942 deaths Military personnel from Western Australia Australian World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian Army personnel of World War II People from Katanning, Western Australia Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian Army soldiers