Percival Thomas CONLAN
Year of Birth: 1889
Place of Birth: Richmond, Tasmania, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 21 August 1914
Date and Place of Embarkation: 24 September 1914 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ship: HMAT Omrah A5
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 9th Australian Infantry Battalion
Regimental Number: 942
Died: 25 April 1915
Percival Thomas Conlan was born in Richmond Tasmania in 1889, the eldest of 4 children born to James Francis Conlan, a plumber, and his wife Margaret Mary (formerly Lynch). His siblings were Albert John (born 1892), Grace May (born 1894) and Alma Lyell (born 1898).
At some stage Percival Conlan left Tasmania as he appeared on the Queensland Electoral Roll in 1913 living at Weinerts Creek (Babinda) and his occupation was “Chef”.
On 20 August 1914 the Cairns Post reported that Conlan had left Cairns on the “Kuranda” as part of the expeditionary force
On enlistment, Private Conlan was described as 24 years 11 months of age, 5 feet 11 inches tall with a dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. His religion was Roman Catholic.
He named his sister, Grace Conlan of Hobart as his next of kin.
He embarked on the HMAT A5 Omrah from Brisbane on 24 September 1914 for Alexandria, Egypt to join the Expeditionary Force.
The Omrah was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean on 12 May 1918.
Pte Conlan was promoted to Lance Corporal 4 April 1915 and embarked to join the Gallipoli campaign on the Ionian. The landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday 25 April 1915, also known as the landing at Gaba Tepe was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by the forces of the British Empire which began the land phase of the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War.
Private Conlan was reported missing on that Sunday and his remains were never discovered. He is remembered at the Lone Pine Memorial listed on panel 31 along with other members of his battalion.
He was reported missing in both Tasmanian and Queensland newspapers
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (CONLAN P T) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
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