The Defence Minister has spoken of his grandfather's service during World War I which saw him receive the Military Cross.
Mr Pearce served during World War I at Pozieres on the Western Front, playing a crucial role in charge of a brigade that advanced on the Germans.
"He won a Military Cross, which, to be honest, I didn't appreciate for most of my life. And it's really not until I've been doing what I'm doing now that I've come to understand how significant that achievement is." Mr Marles spoke of the memories he holds of his grandfather, including the times his family made the drive from Victoria to the Gold Coast where Mr Pearce had retired to.
"He definitely didn't talk about the war, and I think he did have scars and certainly my mother felt that growing up, that this was not something that he spoke about," he said.
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