Percy Fullerton with other members of the 4th Australian Light Horse in Egypt during World War I.
John Rodsted, a Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), has dedicated his life to humanitarian causes, but his latest mission is deeply personal. Rodsted is appealing to the public for help in locating the long-lost World War I medals and photographs belonging to his great uncle, Percy Rutherglen Fullerton.
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Born in Rutherglen into a family of five boys with one sister, Percy’s parents loved the town so much they included it as his middle name.
Percy was a young man with an adventurous spirit and a knack for survival.
Rutherglen’s Percy Fullerton served in the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment, seeing action at Gallipoli, Beersheba and Damascus, before transferring to the 3rd Squadron Australian Flying Corp as a bi-plane observer in France.
As the world descended into war in 1914, Percy enlisted in the army and was sent to the Middle East with the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment where he served at Gallipoli and Palestine under General Chauvel.
From there, his military resume reads like list of Hollywood blockbusters.
He battled his way through Palestinian campaigns, culminating in the famous Light Horse charge on the town of Beersheba.
He crossed the desert with Chauvel’s column to overwhelm the Turks and establish the road to Damascus.
If the dangers of North Africa weren’t enough, Percy transferred to the 3 rd Squadron Australian Flying Corps in 1918 as an observer over France, flying as the second man in ‘ancient’ biplanes where he was responsible for noting enemy movements, photographing them, and being the gunner and bomber.
Percy Fullerton (far right) leads the Anzac Day march in Melbourne with surviving members of the Australian Light Horse Regiment.
He somehow persevered and found a way to survive it all, earning himself service medals and posing for memorable photographs along the way before returning to Rutherglen.
John is channelling the spirit that Percy exhibited so greatly in his search for those medals and photos.
When Percy passed away in 1977, what was left of his chattels and possessions were either auctioned or disposed of.
A large collection of WW1 aerial photographs and papers went to auction along with other memorabilia, but his medals from the war and other documents were tossed to garbage.
Miraculously, they were found at the rubbish tip and recovered.
It’s believed the finder of the medals was a local Rutherglen electrician who possibly retired to Corowa.
The electrician contacted Percy’s nephew, Bob Rodsted, to offer them back to the family, but contact was lost.
“I'm still piecing as much of the story together as I can,” John said.
“In a perfect world, they’d be presented and displayed at the Rutherglen Historical Museum or the Australian War Memorial to keep the memory of such an extraordinary man alive.
“Even gaining copies of the photos and medals would be greatly appreciated.”
John Rodsted, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, ICBL, has been searching for his great uncle Percy’s World War I medals, and is hoping someone from Rutherglen or Corowa knows where they are. Photo courtesy of Kalena Martensen of Secret Atlas.
John is imploring anyone who has any information about the whereabouts of his great uncle’s medals and photos to reach out, noting that he isn’t trying to claim anything that is not his.
“If you have the photos or medals you are the rightful owner,” he said.
“No one is wanting to take them away from you unless you are interested in donating them to a museum.”
Information regarding the whereabouts of Percy Fullerton’s war medals and other memorabilia can be left with The Free Press and will be forwarded on to John.
Percy (standing, left) with his family of four brothers, his sister (sitting, left), and his mother (sitting, right), lived his whole life in Rutherglen, except for his time spent at war.
