Philip Norman Teare was born 20 March 1892 near the town of Happy Valley, O’Halloran Hill, South Australia son of Philip Thomas Teare and Lucy Isabelle Kenihan. Philip worked as Porter on the South Australia Railways living in Keswick, South Australia.
He enlisted into the army in December 1915 in Adelaide and was described as 5ft 6½in tall, 132 lbs with medium complexion dark hair and grey eyes. He was posted to A Coy 2nd Depot Battn then to the 27th Infantry Battn of the Australian Imperial Forces and was posted overseas in 1916. They left Adelaide in March and arrived in France in September.
On 20 September 1917 the 27th Battn took part in the Battle of Menin Road. During the battle, they were committed to the fighting as part of the first wave, which routed the German forces. Advancing under a cover of artillery and machine gun fire, the battalion captured a section of the German line known as the ‘Blue Line’ between Polygon Wood and a position known as the Iron Cross Redoubt.Later, they successfully took part in the Battle of Broodenseinde on 4 October,which was their last major offensive action in 1917.
Philip received shrapnel wounds to his knee in May 1917 and on 14th October was promoted to Corporal. Two weeks after his promotion the battalion was sent forward to the front line as part of the continuing Second Battle of Paschendale (also called the 3rd Battle of Ypres).
He was fatally wounded on 28 October when the Battn diary records they were ‘in the same positions C Coy carried 29th Bn rations to the front line. Heavy bombardment of the Anzac and Westhoek ridge with mustard gas shells ‘. Philip Norman Teare died of his wounds (gas poisoning) on 2 November 1917 in 17th Casualty Clearing Hospital, Belgium and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetry, Poperinge, West Flanders and is remembered on the Australian War Memorial.