Percy Abbott (Australian Politician) - Military Service

Military Service

In 1898, Abbott joined the 4th Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant, moving, by 1905, to the 6th Australian Light Horse. He was a captain by 1908 and a major the next year, and commanded the 5th Light Horse from 1913. In March 1915 he sailed for Egypt as a lieutenant-colonel in the Australian Imperial Force; although his diary contains many declarations of the wickedness of Germany, there are still strong indications of a sense of Australian egalitarianism. He was a fierce critic of British strategy at Gallipoli, and was soon commander of the 10th Light Horse.

In October 1915 Abbott was evacuated to England with enteric fever, where he maintained his standing by commanding the Australian staging camps. A strong supporter of conscription who was horrified at the number of troops voting against it, he was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George in June 1917 and was selected as commander of the 63rd Battalion, which was disbanded before it could serve. He distinguished himself in France with the 30th Battalion, and by the year's end was again commander of the 12th Light Horse. He was forced to return to Australia in April 1918 suffering recurrences of enteric fever, as well as a chronic eye complaint and the effects of gas, but continued to command the 12th (or, as it became, New England Light Horse) until 1929. He was awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration in 1919.