1885 - 1916
CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916
Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916
Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Pte 52014 John Perry
- Age: 29
- From: Cockermouth
- Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
- K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
- Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
Panel Ref: VI.E.36
John Perry was born in Brigham, Cockermouth in 1888, the son of Henry Perry and his wife Margaret Ann (nee Morley) who were married in 1885 in Cockermouth, Cumberland.
The Census of 1891 records John as a 3 year old living with his parents, Henry who was 34 and a limestone quarry labourer b.Brigham, and Margaret Ann who was 33 b.Bridgefoot, Workington. Margaret had a 13 year old daughter called Elizabeth Ann B.Greysouthern, who is living with the couple and has been given the Perry surname too. The couple have two other children - Robert aged 5 b.Whitehaven, and baby George Henry aged just 1 b.Broughton, who sadly died the same year. The family lived in Arlecdon, near Whitehaven, Cumberland.
By 1901 they were living in Fothergill, Flimby a coal mining area where John’s father Henry aged 46, was working as a labourer in a brickyard, mother Margaret A. is aged 45. Both John and his brother Robert at the ages of 13 and 15 respectively are working below ground in a coal mine as pit pony drivers. This would often be a boys first job in the mines, hard physical work for youngsters. There were three new additions to the family – William aged 8, Margaret aged 6 and Thomas aged 3. Sadly little Margaret died in 1906.
When the 1911 Census is taken, John’s sister Elizabeth was married to Charles Thompson, a slate quarryman and living in Keswick. Elizabeth is an innkeeper and has two children. John, also a quarryman, and his brothers William and Thomas are living with Elizabeth and her husband. Their parents are both living in Cockermouth Workhouse, so must have fallen on tough times. Their other son Robert is married with two children and living in Maryport.
Father died aged 62 in the June quarter of 1916 shortly before his son.
John was serving in the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 52014 when he was killed in action on October 12th 1916, aged 29.
It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day John was killed.
It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.
As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them and at the same time the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire. Those German regiments were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire. As such it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.
Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”
Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench.
John was originally posted as Missing.
His death was reported in the Penrith Observer on 03rd January 1917:
News has reached Keswick that Private John Perry, King's Liverpool Regiment, had been found dead on the battlefield. The War Office had reported him missing from October 12th, but a letter has since been received from a friend who saw him lying dead, and he forwarded a New Testament and a sixpence which had been given to the dead soldier as a keepsake, and which had been found clenched in his hands, proving that his thoughts had been turned homeward when he died. The Testament contained the address of his sweetheart at Portinscale, and that is how the news reached home. The body was found by a dispatch rider, who wrote to the address at Portinscale. Private Perry, who was 29 years of age, enlisted last February; previously he had worked at the Honister Quarries for eight years.
John was engaged to a Miss Tweddle of Gray Crag, Portinscale.
John now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery where his headstone contains the epitaph:
"GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN WHO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE".
Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars. The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.
Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918. The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.
Soldiers Effects to sister Elizabeth A. Thompson, Pension to mother Margaret Ann.
John is commemorated on the Keswick War Memorial.
John’s mother died in the June quarter of 1924.
We currently have no further information on John Perry, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.