Home Life

Percy’s father was born either late 1860 or early 1861 in Poplar, London (then Middlesex). Although we do not have an exact date of birth, his given names were Samuel Christmas; we can reasonably surmise that he was born on 25th December, 1860.¹ Unusual middle-names can often be received indifferently by a child, but we know that he liked his as sometimes he chooses to be called by it.² He was known by both names—we shall refer to him as Samuel, the name he chose to pass on to his son.

Samuel’s parents were Norfolk-born and his father, John Henry,³ worked as a House Carpenter and, later, builder who had settled to trade in the Tower Hamlets area of London. Samuel was to beat a different career path that would, in time, be followed by Percy⁴—but more of this later.

As befits someone with the name Christmas, Samuel married Percy’s mother on Boxing Day, 1888, at St Dunstan and All Saints Church, Stepney. His bride, Margaret Stewart Wilson,⁵ was born in 1866 in neighbouring Aldgate. At the time of the wedding, they were both living in Stepney but the new couple were to settle to married life in a 1-bedroom flat⁶ at 68 Brunswick Road, Leyton. Percy was added to the family on 16th October, 1890, and Lilian followed on 3rd December, 1892. They were born in Limehouse and Bethnal Green respectively.

Percy attended Malmesbury Road School, Bow, passing through the Infant and Junior departments. Lily is also to be found on the Admissions Register of the school. The family’s address at that time was 33 Lawrence Road, which adjoined Malmesbury Road.

The school was large: the register for the 1899 calendar year shows that 473⁷ pupils entered the school in the twelve-month period. Literacy levels were low: of the 54 pupils (aged 7 to 13) admitted at the start of the school year and who had not been to Malmesbury Road Infants School, 22 could not read.⁸

On completion of his elementary education, Percy was employed as a pupil teacher. The usual practice was for the child to continue at the school where they had been taught, but Percy’s appointment was at Upton Lane Boys’ School 2½ miles to the northeast, in Forest Gate.

Although pupil teachers were restricted by law to 20 hours classroom work per week, life could be hectic. Headteachers were charged with the responsibility of tutoring the trainee before and after the school day, and most pupil teachers would attend pupil teacher centres for further training, both during non-classroom days and at evening classes. Percy passed a course in Physical Training at a pupil teacher centre. He also passed Physics and Chemistry (theoretical and practical); the centres were one of the few places that had laboratory facilities to teach such courses.

The major qualification awarded to him was his Cambridge Senior Local examination, achieved with a distinction in Geography. This was recognised as a college entrance standard of education and enabled him to apply for a place at a teacher training college. He chose Winchester. For further details on teacher training, there is a feature article here.

At War

Percy began his war service, on 17th November 1915, joining the 2/17th Battalion, London Regiment at their Battalion HQ at 66 Tredegar Road, Bow, with the Regimental Number 5324. His Medical Inspection Report tells us that he was 6ft 1in tall, had perfect eyesight, good physical development and a chest measurement of 36½in. On entering Service he also signed the Imperial and General Service Obligation form which meant the Army could post him overseas.

Also known as the 2nd Poplar and Stepney Rifles, the Battalion was raised in London in August 1914.  The Battalion had been in training at Bishops Stortford since May 1915 and they moved to Sutton Veny in January 1916 for final training.

He was able to get home leave from his unit and, on 24th February, 1916, Percy married his fiancée, Florence Gertrude Morgan at St. Stephen’s Church, Bow. Florence was also a London County Council Teacher. As often the case with wartime weddings, the arrangements would have been rushed as it was impossible to know in advance when Army leave would be granted. There being no time for the reading of banns, they were married by Common Licence.¹⁵ This was sought by Percy at 1 Dean’s Court, Doctor’s Commons—the Diocese of London’s office—the day before the wedding. Florence was from a large Cockney (i.e. Bow, London) family. Born there on 8th April, 1886, she was the youngest of 10 children: 3 boys and 7 girls.¹⁶

Florence Gertrude’s sister, Maud Lillian Jerrett herself also served in the War effort. In civilian life, she was Forewoman in the Outdoor Yard at a cardboard box factory, from which she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps¹⁷ as a ‘Quarters Forewoman’. In 1920 she was awarded The Medal of the Order of the British Empire^{18 19}, for her War service.

Florence and Percy would have only one night together as man and wife: on 25th February 1916 Percy began Officer’s Training at Denham Cadet Unit, Buckinghamshire. He would be there until 8th July. On July 14th he was appointed to a Commission, again in the 17th Battalion London Regiment.

The Somme: Men of the 17th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles), crossing a muddy area in the Ancre Valley, October 1916. © IWM (Q 1561)

In the meanwhile, the Battalion had moved to France on the 23rd of June, landing at Le Havre. 2nd Lieutenant P.S.H. Grice joined his unit on the Western Front. Initially his Commission was made on probation and the rank was confirmed on 1st December. The 2/17th Battalion was not to stay on the Western Front for long. After a short time at the Battle of the Somme, in November 1916 they were ordered to Salonika (Thessaloniki, Greece). Travelling by train from Longpre to Marseilles and sailing via Malta, they arrived in Salonika on Christmas Day, 1916.

In April and May 1917 they were in action during the bloody failure at the Battles of Doiran. This action was part of the Macedonian Front and its aim was to defeat the Bulgarian army and effect a wide breakthrough in the Balkans. Out of 45,000 British troops, over 12,000 were either killed, wounded or captured. Further promotion came on 17th May, 1918, when Percy was made up to Lieutenant.

British troops in Palestine, 1917. Copyright unknown

Percy’s Battalion was withdrawn from Macedonia and moved to Egypt, concentrating at Moascar, near Ismailia, in the Southern Suez Canal Zone, before being sent north into Palestine. The plan there was to push the Ottoman forces north, and this was to prove an altogether more fruitful campaign. Percy and his men then entered a hugely successful but frenetic series of engagements. In rapid succession, they were in action in the capture of Beersheba (31st October, 1917) and immediately following, the Third Battle of Gaza on the 1st and 2nd of November. They moved on to the Battle and Capture of the Sheria position (6th-7th November), the Battle and Capture of Jerusalem (17th November to 30th December), and its subsequent defence. There is an overview of the Egyptian and Palestinian Campaign in a feature article here.

The pace would not ease with the coming of the New Year: from the 19th to 21st February 1918 Percy saw action in the Capture of Jericho, followed by the Battle of Tell Asur (8th to 12th March), the attack on Amman (as part of Chaytor’s Column, 27th to 31st March) and The Second Trans-Jordan Raid (30th April to 4th May). The Indian Army then relieved British units in the Palestinian theatre of war. For Percy and his men this meant a return to the Western Front.

On the 27th May 1918, the 2/17th Londons left for France, joining 89th Brigade of the 30th Division of the Second Army. After landing, they were first stationed on the 30th of June at Audruicq, an Army depot near Calais.

It becomes difficult to know Percy’s movements from this point. Following his death, Florence’s sister, Maude Jerrett, wrote to the War Office in an attempt to expedite the administration of Percy’s estate. In the letter she includes the information that he was attached to the 2/23rd Battalion London Regiment at the time of his death. As we do not know when this move to the 2/23rd Battalion took place, it is impossible to trace his whereabouts until the late Summer of 1918.

The German Spring Offensive had run out of steam; they had reached the limits of their supply lines and although they had gained much territory, it was in the form of a salient, leaving a long front to defend. The efforts required also meant that they had suffered massive losses, including many of their elite forces, and remaining troops were exhausted and demoralised. The late summer would see Allied forces mount a counter-offensive.

The 30th Division, including the 2/17th Battalion and Percy were almost exactly on the France–Belgium border, southwest of Ypres. On August 18th the Allied advance began.

The progress of the advance may be seen on the above map (Scale: Armentièrs to Ypres is 20 miles. Edited extract of a map from the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders 1918. Crown Copyright).

We find details of Percy’s death in the Battalion War Diary:

Percy was buried at an unspecified location in Wulverghem. On 28th January 1920, Florence received a letter from the War Graves Commission to inform her that Percy had been ‘carefully and reverently’ reinterred in the Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, West Flanders, Belgium.

The verse on his stone, chosen by the family, is a couplet from the poem ‘Wait’, by the renowned WWI Anglican Army Chaplain Rev. Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, MC, known affectionately to the men as ‘Woodbine Willie’.

Researcher and Author: John Vickers