Percy Adams (1890-1918)

Post date: Dec 06, 2015 6:50:2 PM

Percy was born in 1890, one of William and Mary Adams' 9 children, of whom 2 had died by the time of the 1911 census. Mary died in 1895 but William stayed in Latters Buildings, working as a farm labourer. Of his brothers Frederick also died in the war and Albert, Levi and William served and survived.

In 1911 Percy, aged 20, was living with his father in a 4 room home in Latters Buildings, all his other siblings having left home. He is described as a carter which recalls the accident that killed his younger (by 2 years) brother Leonard: in 1903 the boys school log states:

June 8^th: Most of the boys attended the funeral of Leonard Adams, a scholar, who died through through the effects of a fall from a cart. Mr. Hamshire and myself also attended. At the cemetery the hymn 572 was sung at the graveside.

On 22nd August 1914, just after the war started Percy married Ellen Kirby (b.1895) from Bischetts Cottages, Wateringbury in Wateringbury Church.

Unfortunately Percy's war record does not seem to have survived. He does not appear on the vicar's lists (up to 1917) of those serving from the village so it seems probable that he enlisted late in the war.

The war diary of the 434^th Siege Battery is not (as of December 2015) available in a digitalised form from the national archives and appears to only exist from November 1918, some 6 months after Percy's death. However it may be worth a review when available (National Archives reference WO 95/393).

Percy is one of 465 soldiers at Gwalia Cemetery, Belgium, located 8.5 kilometres west of Ieper (Ypres) town centre on the Elverdingseweg (N333), a road leading from the Veurnseweg (N8) connecting Ieper to Elverdinge and on to Veurne. At the time of his death, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, his wife was living at Nettlestead Court Cottages.