Percival Joseph Lawrence was born in Didmanton, Gloucester, England on 13 April 1892. He was the son of Joseph Lawrence. He arrived in Melbourne in November 1913 and settled in Bendigo. When he enlisted on 17 August 1914 he gave his occupation as grocer’s assistant. He was 5ft 10ins with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was appointed to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters at Broadmeadows as a private.
He embarked on 21 October 1914 aboard the Orvieto. He took part in the landing at Anzac on 25 April 1915. On 18 November he was admitted to hospital in Cairo for three weeks with septic throat and influenza. He rejoined Headquarters from Transport Section at Tel-el-Kebir on 8 January 1916.
In France, on 16 April 1916 he was admitted to hospital sick. Ten days later he suffered a crushed foot and was invalided to England. On 24 July he was admitted to hospital with valvular diseased heart and on 31 August 1916 he was sent back to Australia on the New Zealand hospital ship, Marama, arriving on 17 October. He was discharged on 31 January 1917.
Late in 1918 Percival wrote from 518 Albert Street, East Melbourne to the Repatriation Department in Wellington Parade South, Jolimont, applying for a free passage to England. On 24 January 1919 he filled out new enlistment papers. This time he gave his occupation as clerk and his address as 518 Albert Street. He embarked the next day as a sergeant with the No. 3 Sea Transport Section, Staff aboard the Marathon and disembarked at Southampton on 19 March.
This was a controversial voyage. It seems that the Marathon already had paying passengers booked, but when the Minister for Defence, Senator Pearce, decided he wanted to leave immediately for England the ship was commandeered and the paying passengers told to re-book. As well, as reported in The Argus, it was to take,
the yearly draft of cadets from Duntroon for training with the AIF; the yearly draft of cadet midshipmen from the Royal Naval College at Jervis Bay; and the checking staff of the Pay Corps, about 30 or 40 in number, who are being sent to London to straighten out difficulties in connection with the Australian soldiers’ accounts.
Percival returned to Australia by return leaving England on 19 April, again on the Marathon, as part of No. 5 Group, AIF, ship’s nursing staff. He arrived back on 7 June 1919 and was discharged on 5 July 1919. After that no information about his life has been found. His service record noted that he died on 12 Jan 1931.