STORKEY Percy Valentine
RANK Lieutenant
UNIT 19th Battalion 5th Brigade, 2nd Division
DATE 7 April 1918
PLACE Hangard Wood, France
PERCY STORKEY was born at Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, on 9 September 1891, son of Samuel James and Sarah Edith Storkey. He was educated at Napier high school, of which he was dux in 1910, and Victoria College, Wellington, where he studied first-year Arts. In 1911 he moved to Sydney, worked for a time in the office of a steamship company, then joined the administrative staff of the University of Sydney and enrolled in the law school.
He enlisted in the AIF on 10 May 1915 and his five years' previous service with the Wellington Infantry contributed to his being commissioned second lieutenant on 24 September. He sailed from Australia on 23 December as a reinforcement officer to the 19th Battalion. On 14 November 1916 he joined his unit in France. On the first day with his battalion he was wounded during an attack on Gird trenches, north of Flers. On 1 January 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant and on 10 October was again wounded when his battalion was engaged in the third battle of Ypres.
Storkey won his Victoria Cross at Hangard Wood, about 2000 metres south of Villers-Bretonneux. On this occasion two companies from the 19th and 20th Battalions were ordered to push through Hangard Wood and dig in along a road that skirted its western side. Both companies were very tired and, while waiting for the order to attack, some of the men, including Storkey, dozed off. He roused himself and to his surprise found that his men were seventy-five metres in front of him; he rejoined them. About a quarter of them were wounded as they pushed through the wood, including Storkey's company commander. When he emerged from the wood with six other men Storkey noticed that a large enemy party, about eighty to a hundred strong and armed with several machine-guns, was holding up the advance of troops on the right. He was joined by another officer and four men and under his leadership this party of twelve charged the enemy position with bayonets fixed. They drove the much larger enemy force out, killing or wounding thirty, and capturing three officers, fifty men and a machine-gun. Storkey pushed on to the objective, but that night the remnants of the two attacking companies withdrew to their unit areas.
The following month Storkey was appointed temporary company commander and temporary captain; on 10 June he was confirmed in this rank.
Storkey returned to Australia on 26 November and his AIF appointment ended on 31 January 1919; he was allocated to the reserve of officers on 1 July 1920. He resumed his studies at Sydney University and passed his final examinations while an associate to Mr justice Wade of the Supreme Court. He was admitted to the bar on 8 June 1921. After a period in private practice Storkey was appointed to the New South Wales Department of Justice as crown prosecutor for the south-western circuit, which covered the area bounded by Goulburn, Albury, Deniliquin, Hay, Wyalong and Broken Hill. On 15 April 1922 he married Molly M. Burnett. Storkey was an active member of the Returned Services League and was first president of the Vaucluse sub-branch. Storkey served for one year in the Army Legal Department from October 1938 until June 1939. In May 1939 he was elevated to the New South Wales District Court Bench and was judge of the northern district until his retirement in December 1955. He moved to Teddington, Middlesex, UK, after retirement and died there on 3 October 1969.
His Victoria Cross was bequeathed to his old school, Napier Boy's High. And the machine gun captured in the charge which he led is in collection of the Australian War Memorial. A portrait by Max Melrum hangs in the Archives Building, Wellington, New Zealand.
1st/19th BATTALION THE ROYAL NEW SOUTH WALES REGIMENT ASSOCIATION INC. P.O. Box 224 INGLE BURN NSW 1890 Tele: 0414 907 427
