Percy Herbert Cherry, VC, MC (4 June 1895 – 27 March 1917) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. The award was granted posthumously for Cherry's actions during an attack on the French village of Lagnicourt which was strongly defended by German forces.
Born in the Australian state of Victoria, Cherry moved to Tasmania at the age of seven when his family took up an apple orchard. Becoming an expert apple packer, he was also a skilled rifle shot and member of the Franklin rowing club. In 1913, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 93rd Infantry Regiment, Citizens Military Force, and served as a drill instructor at the outbreak of war. Enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force in March 1915, he served at Gallipoli before transferring to the Western Front and fighting in the Battle of the Somme. In early March 1917 during the Battle of Arras, Cherry was decorated with the Military Cross following an attack on Malt Trench, in which he led a party in capturing two German machine gun posts. He was killed by a German shell the day following his Victoria Cross action.
Early life
Cherry was born on 4 June 1895 at Drysdale, Victoria, to John Gawley Cherry and his wife Elizabeth, née Russel. When he was seven years old, the family moved to Tasmania and took up an apple orchard near Cradoc. Cherry attended the local state school until he was thirteen, after which he received private tuition. He worked with his father and became an expert apple packer; at fourteen he won a local case-making competition at the Launceston Fruit Show by packing thirty-five cases of apples in an hour. Joining the Australian Army Cadets in 1908, Cherry soon became a sergeant and later a second lieutenant, where he used to drill cadets in four different districts. At the age of sixteen, he won the President's Trophy and Gold Medal for being the best shot at the rifle range in Franklin. He also rowed with the Franklin rowing club, played the cornet in the Franklin brass band and sang in the Anglican church choir. In 1913, Cherry joined the Citizens Military Force and was commissioned into the 93rd Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant.
First World War
Enlistment, March 1915 to Western Front, March 1917
At the outbreak of war, Cherry was sent to Claremont Camp and assumed duties as a drill instructor. where he qualified as an infantry officer, but was considered too young for a commission in the Australian Imperial Force and was instead made a Quartermaster Sergeant. On arrival, the battalion spent several months training in the desert, where Cherry was promoted to company sergeant major in August. On 12 September, the battalion landed at Gallipoli and played a defensive role at Courtney’s and Steele’s Posts, and Russell’s Top.
thumb|alt=Black and white, head and shoulders portrait of a man in a suit.|upright|left|180px|Studio portrait of Cherry while recovering from wounds in London.
On 1 December, injured by bomb wounds to his face and head, Cherry was evacuated to Egypt, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 9 December. Three days later, the 26th Battalion was withdrawn from Gallipoli and evacuated to Egypt where Cherry rejoined them in preparation for service on the Western Front. The German officer hit Cherry in the neck but was mortally wounded by Cherry in return.
Victoria Cross
On 26 March 1917, the 7th Brigade—of which the 26th Battalion was part—was tasked with the capture of Lagnicourt as part of the Battle of Arras. It was during this engagement where Cherry was to earn the Victoria Cross. An artillery barrage opened up on the village at 05:15 and continued for twenty minutes, allowing the infantry to close in. The plan was that Cherry's company would storm the village itself while the battalion's other companies encircled it. For the assault, Cherry split his company into two sections; he commanded one section himself and placed the other under Lieutenant William Frederick Joseph Hamilton. The Germans' stout defence was holding up the advance and Cherry sent a messenger back for more Stokes mortars. The full citation for Cherry's posthumous award of the Victoria Cross appeared in a supplement to the London Gazette on 11 May 1917, reading:
Cherry's Victoria Cross was presented to his father by the Governor of Tasmania, Sir Francis Newdegate, in Hobart during October 1917. In 1932, a photograph of Cherry was unveiled at the headquarters of the 26th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, at Annerley, Brisbane.