Cedric Holroyd PERMEZEL

Cedric Permezel was born on 22 May 1892 in Hawthorn, Victoria. His parents were Edouard Holroyd Georges Alfred Louis Alphonse and Tasmania Mary Johnson (née Fox) Permezel. He attended Scotch from 1906 to 1909. Cedric was member of the 1906 Athletics team.

Cedric was a clerk when he enlisted on 11 November 1914 at Melbourne. He served in the 7th Battalion with the rank of Captain.

Cedric died on 14 July 1915 at Gallipoli. He was 23 years of age.

Service record

Before the war, Cedric Permezel had been in the Citizen Military Forces for three years as Captain and adjutant of the 58th Battalion, Essendon Rifles. He volunteered for the AIF within 15 minutes of the outbreak of war and was allotted to the 7th Battalion. His movements before arriving at Gallipoli are not entirely clear, but he was sent to England in command of a group of Imperial reservists. From there he went to Egypt, where it appears he was in charge of 7th Battalion reinforcements in February.

His obituary in The Scotch Collegian says that on 1 May 1915 he left for Gallipoli in command of 1500 reinforcements for various battalions. His service record suggests that on 26 April he rejoined the 7th Battalion as a reinforcement officer on Gallipoli, but The Scotch Collegian obituary suggests that he did not arrive at Gallipoli until 6 May. He became commander of ‘A’ Company and was involved in heavy fighting, including the disastrous battle at Krithia in early May. The official history tells of him bravely leading troops at German officers Trench with 'Pompey' Elliot. He was wounded in action on 12-13 July 1915, suffering a ‘gun shot wound, leg: shattered’. He died of his wounds on the hospital ship HMHS Gascon at 2.30 a.m. on 14 July 1915. He was buried at sea about 5 kilometres off Gaba Tepe. (Casualty form from Service Record reproduced below).

Cedric Permezel has no known grave but is commemorated at Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli.

Photographs and Documents:

Portrait

Sources:

1. Austin, Ron, Our Dear Old Battalion: The Story of the 7th Battalion AIF, 1914-1919, Slouch Hat Publications, McCrae, 2004
2. Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour and caption to Photograph P08256.001
3. Mishura Scotch Database
4. National Archives of Australia – B2455, PERMEZEL CEDRIC HOLROYD
5. Scotch Collegian 1915
6. The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=238768