Captain Percy Cherry V.C.Print Page

The memorial stone commemorates Victoria Cross recipient, Captain Percy Cherry who was born in Drysdale Victoria in 1895 and moved to Tasmania when he was seven years old. 

Cherry's family ran an apple orchard and he became an expert packer winning the apple case making championship at the Launceston fruit show.

He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) in 1915 after having been commissioned early in the 93rd Infantry Regiment before serving with the 26th Battalion in Gallipoli where he was wounded shortly before he was evacuated. In March 1917, Cherry was ordered to take his company and capture the village of Lagincourt in France which was held by roughly 250 Germans.

When all the officers in his company had become casualties, in the face of fierce opposition, he cleared the village of the enemy all the while sending progress reports of his actions and capturing positions in his path. Having cleared the village he took charge of the situation and repelled heavy counter attacks by the enemy. Wounded early in the morning he refused to leave his post and encouraged his men to hold out at all costs. He was killed by an enemy shell later in the day.

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