Home Page

Home Page65798 Acting Second Corporal
PERCY HALLAWAY PERRY
Royal Engineers 

By 

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MinstRE
(March 2023) 

Figure 1. 65798 2^nd Corporal Percy Hallaway Perry, R.E.
(Image from the author’s collection) 

NOTE: The photograph above was taken by Nola Studios, 234 High Street, Lewisham, London S.E. 

1. INTRODUCTION

The studio photograph of 2^nd Corporal Perry was taken, probably in 1918 or 1919, and was made into a postcard for distribution to his family and friends.  Unfortunately, his military service papers could not be found, so this narrative of his life and military service is based primarily on family trees located on Ancestry.com and the fact that he served in the 126^th Field Company of the Royal Engineers during the Great War of 1914-1918.  The Absentee Voters List from Lewisham, Brockley Ward, produced in 1918 shows that during that year he was not living at his London address and that he was serving with the 126^th Field Company as a Lance Corporal.

2. FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE 

Family Information 

            2^nd Corporal Perry’s father, Thomas Hallaway Perry (1841-1922) was born in Brightling, Sussex.  His mother, Amy Elizabeth Perry (née Millichamp) was born in April 1854 in Brompton, Kent.  Thomas and Amy were married on 2 January 1889 in Christ Church, Malvern, Worcestershire.[1]

Figure 2.  Christ Church, Malvern, Worcestershire.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia 

Early Life 

Percy Hallaway Perry was born at 45 Flaxman Road in Camberwell, London on 25 July 1891.  He was baptized at St. Saviour’s Church on Herne Hill Road in Lambeth, London on 26 August 1891.  His baptism certificate shows that his father was a Sergeant Major in the Royal Artillery.  In addition to Percy, the Perrys also had a daughter, Agnes Mariann Perry (1892-1942), born in Camberwell, London on 7 September 1892.[2]

3041 Acting Sergeant Major Thomas Hallaway Perry, Royal Artillery was discharged from the Army on 18 November 1893.  As part of his discharge procedures he was admitted to the Royal Hospital Chelsea on 21 November 1893 for a medical examination.  After the completion of this examination he was released from the hospital on the same day that he was admitted.[3]    

At the time of his discharge SGM Perry was serving in the Eastern Division.  The Eastern Division, Royal Artillery, was an administrative grouping of garrison units of the Royal Artillery, Artillery Militia and Artillery Volunteers within the British Army's Eastern District from 1882 to 1902.  Given that SGM Perry’s family was in London from 1891 to 1893, he may have been serving with the 28th Company at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.  He was in possession of the Meritorious Service Medal (VR)[4] when he left the Army.  This information was found on a family tree and has not been substantiated by a medal roll.

In 1901 the Perry family was living in Lewisham, London as shown in the table below.

1901 Census of England

The image in Figure 3 below shows 79 Crofton Park Road in Lewisham as it exists today in 2023.  The structure is obviously more modern than one would expect to have seen in 1901 when the Perry family lived there.  Unfortunately, their original home no longer exists.  The image in Figure 4 is the house at 2 Crofton Park Road in Brockley, London.  Lewisham was a Municipal Borough of London and Brockley was a Municipal Borough of Lewisham.  Both houses were in the same neighborhood.  The 2 Crofton Park Road address is where the Perry family was living in 1911 and it became the family residence for many years to come.  The structure in Figure 4 could have been the original structure that existed in 1911.  As can be seen, the Perry’s economic situation must have significantly improved by 1911 based on the size and location of their home.  The composition of the family is as shown in the table below.1911 Census of England and Wales

TABLE NOTES:

(1)   The census taker chose to indicate that the house was located in Brockley rather than Lewisham.

(2)   In 1901 there was a 12-year difference between the ages of Thomas and Elizabeth.  In 1911 the census indicated that there was a 14-year difference.

(3)   Amy’s place of birth was altered somewhat in this census from Brompton, Kent to Brompton, Chatham.  Brompton is a small suburb of the village of Chatham in the County of Kent.  Brompton is also the home of the Headquarters of the Corps of Royal Engineers.

(4)   Agnes was entered on the form and then lined through.  There is no indication of why this was done.  No evidence could be found that she had married before the 1911 census.  She may have been away visiting a relative or she may have been working in another household at the time.

(5)   The listing of Elizabeth Fenn as Thomas Perry’s mother-in-law is a curious entry.  His wife’s surname was Millichamp and her mother’s maiden name is unknown.

(6)   Presumably the elderly Elizabeth Fenn was in ill health and required a nurse for medical assistance.  Alternatively, as Amy Perry was to expire in 1914, she may have been the one who required the nurse.

2. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION  

Without 2^nd Corporal Perry’s military service papers we cannot get a detailed physical description of him.  His papers would include his height, weight, hair color and eye color.  All that is available to us for this research is what can be seen in Figure 1.  The photograph does show that he wore spectacles to correct a vision problem.

3.  RECRUITMENT, ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING 

Recruitment

Again we can only speculate who recruited him for service in the Royal Engineers during the Great War.  As he was a resident of London and his father was a retired Sergeant Major of the Royal Artillery, we may assume that he was recruited by an artillery non-commissioned officer, one perhaps stationed at Woolwich. 

Enlistment

As the war had begun in August of 1914 it is likely that Perry, perhaps prompted by his father, enlisted early in the war.  We can get an idea of when he might have enlisted by the dates that the units he served in were formed.  Following his recruit training Sapper Perry was posted to the 126^th Field Company in the 21^st Division.  The division was formed in September 1914, but the 126^th Field Company did not join it until March of 1915.  Assuming that Perry was posted to the company when it was formed, in or about March 1915, and assuming that his recruit training lasted for two months,[6] he could have enlisted about January 1915.

Training

Following the administrative actions involved with his enlistment, Perry was sent off for his recruit training.  With the exception of Drivers, every recruit enlisted for the Royal Engineers had to have a trade.  Pioneers and Sappers were sent to Chatham where they were trained in infantry drill and pioneer duties.  The engineer recruits also received musketry training.  When the course of training was completed the recruits had to pass an examination and were then transferred to engineer formations, where they received higher pay and could earn extra allowances by working at their special trades.  During the Great War the training cycle was shortened to about eight weeks before the man was posted to a field unit.  Perry was a draughtsman in civil life before he enlisted, however a field company did not have any draughtsmen.  It is most likely that he was posted as a Sapper.    

4.  POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

The Absentee Voter Roll for the year 1918 shows that Perry was serving with the 126^th Field Company at that time.  Without the availability of his service papers it must be assumed that this was the unit in which he served during the entire war. 

A Field Company of the Royal Engineers was composed of 217 men during the Great War.  The personnel of the company consisted of the following:

· A Major in command of the company

·   A Captain as second in command

·   3 Lieutenants (or 2^nd Lieutenants), one each commanding a Section

·   9 Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (Company Sergeant Major, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, a Farrier Sergeant and 6 Section Sergeant

·   14 Junior Non-Commissioned Officers (7 Corporals and 7 2^nd Corporals or Lance Corporals)[7]

·   186 Other Ranks (1 Shoeing Smith, 1 Trumpeter, 1 Bugler, 138 Sappers, 37 Drivers and 8 Batmen)

The company also had 2 attached Privates of the Royal Army Medical Corps and 1 attached Driver of the Army Service Corps (not counted into strength as officially he was part of the Divisional Train).  Perry would be posted to the company as a Sapper and would eventually become one of the junior Non-Commissioned officers as an Acting 2^nd Corporal.

As previously stated, this company joined the 21^st Division, one of the most heavily engaged divisions of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) in France and Flanders.  This Division was established in September 1914, as part of Army Order 388 authorizing Kitchener’s Third New Army, K3. The units of the Division initially concentrated in the Tring area, spending some time in camp at Halton Park before winter necessitated a move into local billets in Tring, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, High Wycombe and Maidenhead. The artillery was at High Wycombe and Berkhamsted, the Royal Engineers at Chesham, and the Army Service Corps units at Dunstable.

In May 1915 the infantry moved to huts at Halton Park, the artillery went to Aston Clinton (one brigade staying at Berkhamsted) and the Royal Engineers, including Perry’s 126^th Field Company, to Wendover. Rifles were received in late June 1915 and after firing their first course the infantry moved from 9 August to Witley Camp. Lord Kitchener inspected the Division on the march on 12 August.

Advanced parties embarked for France began on 2 September and the main body began to cross the Channel five days later. Units moved to assemble near Tilques, completing concentration on 13 September. The Division’s first experience was truly appalling. Having been in France for only a few days, lengthy forced marches brought it into the reserve for the British assault at Loos. General Headquarters (GHQ) planning left it too far behind to be a useful reinforcement on the first day, but it was sent into action on 26 September, whereupon it suffered over 3,800 casualties for very little gain.

Perry probably joined the company in March of 1915 as a Sapper, Regimental Number 65798.  The 126^th Field Company’s War Diary was opened at Milford, Surrey on 11 September 1915.  The company moved on that day to Southampton where it boarded a ship and landed at Le Havre, France on the following day.  Perry’s Medal Index Card indicates that he landed in France on 12 September 1915.

Now without his service papers his precise service with the company cannot be traced; however, the battle honours declared for the company indicate that it took part in the following campaigns and battles:[8]

When the Armistice came into effect at 1100 hours on 11 November 1918 the units of the Division were halted around Berlaimont. Next day they moved to Beaufort, going between 12 and 20 December to west of Amiens. Demobilization began and by 19 May 1919 the Division ceased to exist. In all the 21st Division had suffered the loss of 55581 killed, wounded, and missing.  

The casualties suffered by the 126^th Field Company are shown in Annex A below.  The company was one of the hardest hit Royal Engineers field companies during the war.  It suffered 110 battle casualties, or 50.7% of its original strength, which of course required replacement.  The company lost its two senior Non-Commissioned Officers early in the war; 52840 Company Sergeant Major F.S. Spreadborough on 15 January 1916 and 44062 Company Quartermaster Sergeant J. Bennet on 24 June 1916.  Both are listed as “Died” indicating the cause of death was either accident or illness.  Three of the 3 Section commander (100%) were lost; 2^nd Lieutenant Charles Stuart Lee, R.E., killed in action on 30 December 1915, 2^nd Lieutenant Alexander Alves Inglis, R.E., killed in action on 26 September 1916, and Lieutenant Charles Henville Simonds, MC, R.E. who died of wounds on 29 April 1918.  The Sappers suffered severely, as 82 of the company’s 138 Sappers, or 59.4% were either killed in action or died of wounds.  50% of the Section Sergeants were lost.  However, the highest percentage of losses occurred in the ranks of the junior Non-Commissioned officers.  The company lost 19 Corporals, 2^nd Corporal and Lance Corporals, or 135% of the junior NCOs authorized to the company, indicating just how dangerous it was to be in such a position.  This danger, of course, came from having to direct the actions of their men on the battlefield without regard for their own personnel safety.  Perry undoubtedly was the replacement for one of these losses and he was fortunate not to become a fatality himself.

The worst years of the war for the 126^th Field Company were 1916 when it lost 30% of its men and 1918 when it lost just over 54%.  The 1916 losses correspond to British offensive on The Somme and the Battle of Bazentin.  The 1918 losses occurred during the German Spring Offensive at St. Quentin, Bapaume, Kemmel and Scherpenberg.  

5. DISCHARGE

As previously stated, Perry rose from the rank of Sapper to the rank of Acting Second Corporal before he was discharged from the Army.  His discharge probably took place in 1919 following the demobilization of the 21^st Division units.  Which Dispersal Unit processed his discharge is not known.  Certainly he was assigned to the Class “Z” reserve as were most soldiers being discharged who had no physical problems that precluded them serving again in case of an emergency.  The probate of his father’s Will in 1922 shows that Perry was employed as a Clerk at that time.

6.  MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            For his service during the war 2^nd Corporal Perry was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal, as shown on his Medal Index Card.

Figure 5. The Medal Index Card of 65798 Acting 2^nd Corporal Percy H. Perry, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

NOTE: The Royal Engineers Medal Rolls for these awards shows Percy as a Lance Corporal when he earned the 1914-15 Star and as an Acting 2^nd Corporal when he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.  Examples of these three medals are shown in the Figure below.  These are not Perry’s Medals.  They are medals from the author’s collection simply to show what they looked like.  The whereabouts of Percy’s medals are unknown. 

Figure 6. The 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
(Image from the author’s collection) 

7.   MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

Marriage

 No evidence was found during this study to indicate that Percy H. Perry ever married.

Parents

 Percy’s mother, Amy Elizabeth Perry, died in Kent on 20 December 1914, about a year before her son went off to war.  She had a Will that left £2146-18s-2d, subsequently resworn to a value of £1821-18s-2d (about $209,200 US in 2022 currency) to her husband Thomas H. Perry.[9]  This was a sizeable amount of money for the wife of a career Army warrant officer to have.  Perhaps Amy had some family money of her own.

Sergeant Major Thomas Hallaway Perry died on 24 February 1922 at Lewisham Hospital in Lewisham, Kent.  His residence at the time had been the old family home at 2 Crofton Park Road.  Sergeant Major Perry was buried in Lewisham and the probate of his Will took place in London on 2 June 1922 leaving his effects to his son Percy Hallaway Perry, Clerk and his daughter Agnes Mariann Perry, Spinster.  His effects amounted to £3965-14s-3d (about $358,800 US in 2022 currency).

Siblings

Other than her dates of birth and death, very little could be found regarding the life of his sister, Agnes Marriann Perry.  She was alive in 1922 when she received her inheritance from her father’s will, but she was a Spinster than and it appears that she remained unmarried her entire life.  The 1951 Probate Calendar shows that she was living in the old family homestead at 2 Crofton Park Road in Brockley, London when she died on 26 June 1942 at Joyce Green Hospital in Dartford, Kent.  Probate of her will took place in London on 29 December 1951 with her effects going to her brother Percy Hallaway Perry, Engineer.  No explanation could be found for the nine year delay in the probate of her Will.  Her effects amounted to £2873-7s-6d (approximately $119,700 US in 2022 currency).  Had probate of the Will taken place in 1942, Percy would have inherited about $205,500 US or the equivalent of $85,800 US more.

8.  POST SERVICE LIFE

Percy Hallaway Perry appears to have resided with his sister at 2 Crofton Park Road in Lewisham, London until his death at age 88 in September 1979.  While his father’s Will lists Percy as a Clerk in 1922, Percy apparently improved his station in life by 1942 when he is listed as an Engineer in his sister’s Will.  He died on 23 August 1979 in Lewisham and the probate of his Will took place in London on 22 November 1979.  His effects amounted to £65,800 (about $496,100 US in 2022 currency).  No heir to this money is indicated in the Probate Calendar.

Perry was interred in the Ladywell & Brockley Cemeteries.  The Ladywell and Brockley Cemeteries were opened in 1858.  The cemeteries are characteristic examples of the first wave of Victorian public cemeteries and are now part of the Brockley Conservation Area.  The cemeteries occupy 37 acres of land wholly within the London Borough of Lewisham and are owned and managed by the Cemeteries and Crematorium Services of the Borough. Both cemeteries contain war graves of Commonwealth service personnel registered and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  Brockley Cemetery contains 194 war graves, 175 from the Great War and 19 from World War II. The majority of the graves lie in a War Plot. On the cemetery's west side, a Screen Wall memorial lists those whose graves could not be marked by headstones.  Ladywell Cemetery contains 226 war graves from the Great War and 18 from World War II.  A War Graves plot contains 100 graves, the names of those buried there being listed on a Screen War Memorial in Plot D, as well as those buried elsewhere in the cemetery whose graves could not be marked by headstones. The CWGC also maintains a Commemorative Plot, in Plot B, on which 46 headstones have been erected.[10]

ANNEX A

126^th Field Company

Casualties During the Great War (from 1915 to 1919)

(in alphabetical order by date of death) 

Legend: KIA – Killed in Action; DOW – Died of Wounds; Died – of disease or accidentally killed. 

The following is a statistical analysis of these deaths by various categories:  

1. Total Company Casualties from all Causes: 120 

2. Deaths by Rank 

Lieutenants: 1

2^nd Lieutenants: 2

Company Sgt. Major: 1

Company QM Sgt.: 1

Sergeants: 3

Corporals: 3, 2^nd Corporals: 7, Lance Corporals: 9. Total number of junior NCO’s: 19 or 15.8%

Sappers: 88 (73.3%)

Drivers: 1

Pioneers: 4 

3. Deaths by Year 

1915: 5          4.2%

1916: 36        30.0%

1917: 12        10.0%

1918: 65        54.2%

1919: 2          1.6% 

4. Deaths by Major Battles or Campaigns (74 of 120: 61.7%) 

4-18 July 1916: 21 (17.5%):     The Somme and Bazentin

21-28 Mar 1918: 34 (28.3%):     St. Quentin and Bapaume      

19-29 Apr 1918: 14 (11.7%):     Kemmel and Scherpenberg 

5. Regimental numbers in the 65XXX to 67XXX range: 37 or 30.8%. These men probably were among the original member posted to the company when it was formed.

6. Men probably affected by the Spanish Flu who died between 17 November 1918 and 1 May 1919: 4

 REFERENCES:

Census 

1. 1901 Census of England (RG 13/554).

2. 1911 Census of England and Wales (RG 14/2775).  

Civil Documents 

1. Baptism Certificate, Percy Hallaway Perry, 26 August 1891.

2. Absentee Voters List, Lewisham, Brockley Ward, 1918, p. 53.

3. 1915 Probate Calendar, p. 452.

4. 1922 Probate Calendar, p. 552.

5. 1951 Probate Calendar, p. 420.

6. 1979 Probate Calendar, p. 6480.

7. Electoral Registers, 1930-1938.

8. UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1576-2014

Computer Software

Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919. A Searchable Digital Database Constructed by The Naval & Military Press, Darlington, East Sussex, 1998.

Family Trees (by Glen Hodgins) 

1. Percy Hallaway Perry (1891-1979).

2. Thomas Halloway Perry, MSM (1841-1922).

3. Amy Elizabeth Millichamp (1854-1914).  

Internet Web Sites 

1. Eastern Division, Royal Artillery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Division,_Royal_Artillery

2. 21^st Division: The Long, Long Trail.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/21st-division/

3. Historical Conversion of Currency: Pounds Sterling to U.S. Dollars.

https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm

4. Brockwell and Ladywell Cemeteries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brockley_and_Ladywell_Cemeteries#War_graves

5. Wikipedia (various sites)  

Military Documents 

1. Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions, 21 November 1893.

2. War Diary of the 126^th Field Company, 1915-1919.  

Periodicals 

The Royal Engineers Journal. Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

ENDNOTES: