Grenadier Guards, 2nd _s._ of George Sholto Gordon, 2nd Lord
Penrhyn, and elder _s._ by his 2nd wife, Gertrude Jessie (37,
Lennox Gardens, S.W.), yst. dau. of the Rev. Henry Glynne, Rector of
Hawarden; _b._ Torquay, 26 Aug. 1876; educ. Evelyn’s and Eton;
gazetted 2nd Lieut., Grenadier Guards, from the Militia, Oxfordshire
and Buckinghamshire L.I., 1 Dec. 1897; promoted Lieut. 12 July,
1899, and Capt. 1905; served in the South African War, 1900–2; took
part in the operations in the Orange Free State, April-May, 1900;
operations in Orange River Colony, May to 29 Nov. 1900, including
actions at Biddulphsberg and Wittebergen (1–29 July); operations in
the Transvaal, Feb.–March, 1901, also those in Orange River Colony,
Dec. 1900 to Feb. 1901, and March, 1901 to 31 May, 1902, when he
was employed as Signalling Officer (mentioned in Despatches [London
Gazette, 10 Sept. 1901]; Queen’s medal with three clasps and King’s
medal with two clasps); was A.D.C. to Lieut.-Gen. Sir Leslie Rundle,
Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, 1903–7, and in 1908 joined
the Reserve of Officers. On the outbreak of the European War he was
north of Gilgit, N. Kashmir, but at once returned to England, rejoined
his old regt. in Sept., went to France in Nov., and was killed in
action at Neuve Chapelle, 11 March, 1915, while leading the King’s
Coy., Grenadier Guards, into action; _unm._ Buried there. He was
mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 31 May,
1915 [London Gazette, 22 June, 1915]. He took great interest in fox
hunting, salmon fishing and big game hunting, and had travelled in East
Africa, the Soudan, India, Turkistan, Persia, Canada, Alaska, etc. He
left his collection of trophies, heads, skins, and specimens of game,
to the National Museum, Wales, at Cardiff. His brother, Lieut. the Hon.
Charles Douglas-Pennant, was killed in action, 29 Oct. 1914.
[Illustration: =Hon. G. H. Douglas-Pennant.=]
=PENNELLS, CHARLES PERCY=, Private, No. 85, 16th Battn. Australian
Imperial Force; served in Egypt and at the Dardanelles; killed in
action, 27 May, 1915.
=PENNEY, JOHN EDWIN=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 5060), 213157, H.M.S.
Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PENNY, HENRY=, Private, No. 7528, 1st Battn. Royal West Kent
Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in
action 22 Jan. 1915; _m._
=PENNY, WILLIAM=, Chief Signal Boatswain, R.N., 2nd _s._
of James Penny, by his wife, Christina, dau. of (--) Gunn; _b._
Benares, Bengal, 11 June, 1864; entered the Royal Navy, 26 Aug. 1879,
as a boy in H.M.S. Resistance; was drafted to the Impregnable, 30
Aug. 1879, and then to the Inconstant, in which ship he escorted the
King, when Prince George, round the world. He served in the Egyptian
Campaign, 1882, for which he received the medal and clasp. He also
served in the following ships: Duke of Wellington, Victor Emanuel,
St. Vincent, Northumberland, Active, Victory and Royal Oak, and was
promoted Signal Boatswain, 8 July, 1896. He afterwards served in the
Ramillies under Admiral Hopkins until July, 1899; when he was appointed
to the Vivid for the Signal School until 1903, then to the Revenge,
flagship of Admiral Wilson, with whose staff he transferred to the
Exmouth until 1907, when he was appointed to the Victory for Signal
School 1907–1910. He was promoted Chief Signal Boatswain, 4 June 1909,
and served in H.M.S. Prince of Wales, under Admiral Jellicoe, 1910 to
1911. On the outbreak of the European War in 1914 he was appointed to
the Good Hope, flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock, C.B.,
M.V.O., and was killed in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1
Nov. 1914. He _m._ at St. John’s, Bognor, 26 Aug. 1893, Elizabeth
Jane (Argyll Road, Bognor), eldest dau. of William Smith, late Chief
Officer of Coastguards, and had two children: Gertrude Ethel, _b._
14 June, 1896, and Dorothy Marguerite, _b._ 15 Jan. 1909.
[Illustration: =William Penny.=]
=PENSON, REGINALD=, Private, No. 2391, 2nd Battn. (Royal
Fusiliers) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of Frederick Penson,
of 8, Burns Street, Mansfield, Nottingham, by his wife, Mary Ann,
dau. of Israel Dook; _b._ Leicester 11 April, 1887; educ. at
Gainsboro’; was an employee in the Army and Navy Stores at Westminster;
volunteered and joined the Royal Fusiliers, 6 Sept. 1914; went to
Malta with his Battn., 9 Sept.; proceeded to France, 30 Dec., and was
killed in action near Armentières, 16 May, 1915; _unm._ Buried at
Ferme-de-la-Buterne, Chapelle d’ Armentières. Capt. R. Henman wrote:
“It is with the deepest regret I have to inform you that your son was
killed this morning whilst observing the effect of artillery fire. I
would like to offer you my most sincere sympathy as well as that of the
whole company. We shall all miss your dear son most awfully, as his
genial manner, his courage, and his willingness to do any work made him
loved by everyone.” Private Penson was a fine vocalist and won a £100
scholarship in London for singing.
[Illustration: =Reginald Penson.=]
=PENTER, EDWARD SYDNEY=, Petty Officer, 159207, H.M.S. Monmouth;
lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PEPPER, JAMES WILLIAM THOMAS=, B.A., Private, No. 793, 1/5th
Battn. (The London Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), only
_s._ of James William Pepper, of 15, West Cliff, Whitstable,
Local Secretary and Correspondent at Whitstable for the Kent Education
Committee, by his wife, Emma Maria, dau. of John Harlow; _b._
Whitstable, co. Kent, 2 July, 1891; educ. Simon Langton School,
Canterbury, and Goldsmiths’ College, London (B.A. 1912), and on leaving
there was for several months a supplementary teacher for the Kent
Education Committee, later being appointed certificated teacher at
Bridge Road Council School, Harlesden, under the Willesden Education
Committee, who wrote highly of his influence and of his ability. On the
outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, he volunteered for foreign service and
joined the London Rifle Brigade in Sept.; went to France with the first
draft to join the 1/5th Battn., on active service in Flanders, in Jan.
1915; served in the trenches from Jan. to April; retired to the rear
after Easter for a rest, but was suddenly ordered up with his regt. to
the support of the Canadians at the Ypres salient, and was killed in
action there, 26 April, 1915; _unm._ Buried at Fortuin, near St.
Julien. He obtained a Junior County Scholarship at ten years of age
and later a County Bursary; was especially interested in history and
languages, and at the time war was declared was making a special study
of Anglo-Saxon, and Old English. During his last two years at College
he played successfully as a member of the College Rugby Team, and was
also interested in cricket.
=PEPPIATT, WILLIAM HENRY=, Private, No. 9556, 5th Battn. (London
Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of the late
William Robert Peppiatt, by his wife, Emily Elizabeth, dau. of the
late Charles Giles; _b._ Stoke Newington, London, 2 Nov. 1888;
educ. Bancroft’s School, Woodford Wells; entered the service of the
London & North-Western Railway Co. in 1907, and when war broke out was
in the General Manager’s office at Euston; he had joined the London
Rifle Brigade in 1912, and volunteered for foreign service in Aug.
1914; went to France in Nov. and died at Ploegsteert, 5 Feb. 1915, of
wounds received in action there the previous day; _unm._ Buried
in the London Rifle Brigade Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Major C. Burnell,
the officer commanding his company, wrote: “I personally feel very
much his loss, he was one of those always willing to help and always
cheerful even when things were at their worst.” He was one of the team
of his regt. which won the Territorial Marathon in 1913, and one of the
contingent from the London Rifle Brigade which marched to Brighton in
record time. He was also an expert bayonet fighter.
[Illustration: =William Henry Peppiatt.=]
=PEPYS, FRANCIS=, D.S.O., 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. Oxfordshire and
Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 2nd _s._ of Capt. Arthur Pepys,
of Knowle House, Budleigh Salterton, late 60th Rifles, by his wife,
Margaret, dau. of the Rev. John Lomax; _b._ Budleigh Salterton,
co. Devon, 2 April, 1891; educ. Charterhouse; gazetted 2nd Lieut. in
the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I., 24 May, 1913; went to France
with the Expeditionary Force, 13 Aug. 1914; took part in the retreat
from Mons, the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne, and the repulse
of the Prussian Guards at Ypres, 11 Nov. and was killed in action
the following day by the bursting of a shell; _unm._ Buried at
Zonnebeke. 2nd Lieut. Pepys was awarded the D.S.O. for conspicuous
good work on 3 Nov. “in advancing from his trench and assisting in
driving away a party of the enemy who were commencing to dig a new
trench within thirty yards of his own. Thirty of the enemy were shot
down on the occasion.” He was also mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now
Lord) French’s Despatch of 14 Jan. 1915. His elder brother, 2nd Lieut.
John Pepys, was killed in action at Mons, 23 Aug. 1914 (see following
notice).
[Illustration: =Francis Pepys.=]
=PEPYS, JOHN=, 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. King’s Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry, eldest _s._ of Capt. Arthur Pepys, of Knowle House,
Budleigh Salterton, late 60th Rifles, by his wife, Margaret, dau. of
the Rev. John Lomax; _b._ Budleigh Salterton, co. Devon, 7 May,
1890; educ. Charterhouse, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst:
gazetted 2nd Lieut. King’s Own Yorkshire L.I., 9 Nov. 1910; went to
France with the Expeditionary Force, 14 Aug. 1914, and was killed in
action at Mons, on the 23rd, three hours after going into action as
machine-gun officer; _unm._ Buried at Wasmes. His younger brother,
2nd Lieut. Francis Pepys, D.S.O., was killed in action at Ypres, 12
Nov. 1914 (see preceding notice).
[Illustration: =John Pepys.=]
=PEPYS, REGINALD WHITMORE=, Capt., 2nd Battn. Worcestershire
Regt., yst. _s._ of the Rev. Herbert George Pepys, M.A., Hon.
Canon of Worcester Cathedral (Florence Court, Torquay) by his wife,
Louisa Harriet, dau. of John Whitmore Isaac, of Boughton Park, co.
Worcester, and grandson of the Right Rev. Henry Pepys, D.D., Bishop of
Worcester [yr. brother of Charles Christopher, 1st Earl of Cottenham];
_b._ Hallow Vicarage, Worcester, 3 Jan. 1883; educ. Haileybury
College, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd
Lieut., Worcestershire Regt., 18 Jan. 1902, and promoted Lieut., 2
July, 1904, served with the West African Regt. from 19 Sept. 1908
to 12 May, 1913, obtaining his company, 24 May, 1913, in which year
he rejoined the Worcestershire Regt., and was appointed to the 2nd
Battn.; went to France with the Expeditionary Force in Aug. 1914, and
died in hospital at Chateau de Vermeil, 21 Sept. following, of wounds
received in action the previous day, during the Battle of the Aisne.
The Adjutant wrote: “He was shot while leading his men in a very hot
corner. He was doing his duty to the full extent: he could do no more.
He was shot through the chest, and I eventually carried him to the
hospital, badly hit, but quite cheerful. He was commanding A Coy. when
he was killed, as Capt. Carr, who came out in command of that company,
was killed two days before. He is buried in the beautiful grounds of
the Château de Vermeil, which was used as a temporary field hospital”;
and Sergt. Hill: “Our first place to go for was an empty trench, which
we occupied under heavy gun and rifle fire; but it was an absolute
death-trap for anyone to show themselves. During this time, I can
assure you that Capt. Pepys gave his orders with the coolness as though
he had been at Aldershot. After a time there was a break in the fire,
and then came the final order to charge, and the Captain jumped up,
revolver and sword in hand, to lead the company forward, and I was
with him. His wounds were caused by a rifle bullet hitting him in the
chest. We were all pleased to think that we had Capt. Pepys posted to
take command of the company after the death of our previous commander,
the late Capt. Carr, and the whole company deeply regretted that he had
been taken from us so soon.” Capt. Pepys _m._ at Iffley Church,
near Oxford, 27 July, 1914, Maud Mael, dau. of William Foster, of
Beechwood Iffley; _s.p._
[Illustration: =Reginald W. Pepys.=]
=PERCY, HENRY EDWARD=, Private, No. 750, Honourable Artillery
Company, elder _s._ of Josceline Hugh Percy, of 49, Talbot Road,
Highgate [grandson of the Right Rev. Lord Hugh Percy D.D., Bishop of
Carlisle, yr. brother of George, 5th Duke of Northumberland], by his
wife, Grace Anne, dau. of Edward Percy Thompson; _b._ Southampton,
6 Aug. 1893; educ. Darlston Court, Swanage, and St. Bees School,
Cumberland; was in Equity and Law Life Assurance Office, Lincoln’s Inn
Fields; joined the H.A.C. in Feb. 1913; volunteered for foreign service
on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; went to France 18 Sept. 1914, and
was killed in action near Kemmel, 25 Feb. 1915; _unm._ Buried at
Kemmel.
[Illustration: =Henry E. Percy.=]
=PERCY, LEONARD SIDNEY=, Private, No. 1623, 1st Battn. (Royal
Fusiliers) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of Charles John Percy,
of 16, Stuart Road, West Kilburn, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of H.
Kent; _b._ Salisbury, co. Wilts, 13 Aug. 1896; educ. St. Mark’s
School, Marleborne; was a Milkman; joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1913;
volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914;
trained in Malta for six months; went to France, 10 March, and died in
the Australian Hospital, Wimereux, 14 Oct. 1915, of wounds received
in action during the Battle of Loos, 26 Sept.; _unm._ Buried at
Wimereux.
=PERCY, WILLIAM REGINALD MINSHULL=, Private, No. 9755, 5th
Battn. (Rifle Brigade) The London Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of John
Henry Percy, of Bod Meurig, Rhyl, by his wife, Catherine, dau. of
William Minshull, of Mold; _b._ Southport, 4 Feb. 1895; educ.
Epworth College, Rhyl, and then entered the office of the Prudential
Society. On the declaration of war in Aug. 1914, he joined the London
Rifle Brigade, and was killed in action near Ypres, 27 Feb. 1915;
_unm._ Buried near St. Julien. His Capt. wrote of him as a great
loss, “he was so cheery with a sort of Irish wit about him that made
him excellent company.” One of his comrades wrote: “The whole battn.
was under heavy shell fire at the time, and you will be glad to know
that Reggie behaved magnificently during the whole period. He was in
fact one of the most popular fellows in the platoon.” A writer in the
Ibis said: “Clean-minded, high-spirited, with a charm of manner that
captivated all with whom he came in contact, he was the embodiment of
joyous youth. The cruel eclipse of this bright life has cast a shadow
which only the years in their course can lighten.” From the Headmaster
of Epworth College: “Many old Epworthians will remember the skilful
drawings executed by W. R. M. P. His caricatures were the best this
school have ever produced. All of us, masters and boys, at one time
or another provided him with subjects for his friendly but critical
pencil. The men of his company were fortunate in having a comrade so
vivacious, and so full of kindly humour. Their testimony and that of
the officers of the battn. show the high regard in which he was held,
and to this testimony we add our tribute of esteem and affection.”
[Illustration: =William R. M. Percy.=]
=PERHAM, JOHN=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14848, H.M.S. Cressy; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PERKINS, ALEXANDER=, Leading Seaman, 227224, H.M.S. Cressy; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PERKINS, ARTHUR=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 10386), 203819, H.M.S.
Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PERKINS, CHARLES EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B.
9009), S.S. 105825, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22
Sept. 1914.
=STEELE-PERKINS, CYRIL STEELE=, Lieut., 1st Battn. The King’s
Own Royal Lancaster Regt., only surviving _s._ of George
Chapman Steele-Perkins, of 30, Weymouth Place, Portland Place, W.,
and Kingsdown, near Deal, M.D., by his wife, Alice, dau. of Edward
Chapman, of Sydney, New South Wales; _b._ Streatham, S.W., 27 Feb.
1887; educ. St. Paul’s School, London University and Sandhurst; from
which latter he was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 1st Battn. Royal Lancashire
Regt. 8 Feb. 1908, and promoted Lieut. 12 Sept. 1911. On the outbreak
of war he went with that regt. to the Front, and was killed in
action at Haucourt, between Cambray and Le Cateau, France, 26 Aug.
1914; _unm._ In an article headed “Our Troops Under Fire,” in
“The Times,” 8 Sept. 1914 the writer said: “Then there was Lieut.
Steele-Perkins, who died one of the grandest deaths a British officer
could wish for. He was lifted out of the trenches wounded four times,
but, protesting, he crawled back again and remained there till he was
mortally wounded.” The following account appeared in “The Scout,” 26
Sept. 1914, p. 54: “On Aug. 26, 1914, The King’s Own Royal Lancaster
Regt. was very heavily engaged. One of the greatest heroes of the fight
was Lieut. Steele-Perkins. As the German hordes advanced, he--one of
the few officers left--walked along the trenches, encouraging the men
to do their utmost. No fear had he of danger. What the men could face
he was willing to endure. A shell exploded, wounding him severely, and
he was carried out of the trenches, protesting loudly. No sooner had
he been carried to safety than he crawled back to the trenches; while
he could move he would be with his men--they needed his presence to
spur them on. ‘Ah,’ said one of his sergeants, ‘he was a proper man,
he was. We would do anything for him.’ Four times he was lifted out of
trenches, badly wounded, and four times he crawled back again, more
feeble each time--nothing but actual physical weakness would keep him
from sharing the dangers of his men. Then came the end--from a shell
bursting overhead.”
[Illustration: =Cyril S. Steele-Perkins.=]
=PERRETT, ERNEST=, Petty Officer, 206389, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost
in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PERRETT, WILLIAM NELSON=, Boy, 1st Class, J. 24698, H.M.S. Hawke,
_s._ of Frederick Nelson Perrett, of 265, Dale Street, Chatham;
lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.
=PERRY, ALFRED HENRY=, Leading Telegraphist, J. 867, H.M.S. Good
Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PERRY, ARTHUR THEODORE=, Private, No. 3/140, New Zealand Army
Medical Corps, _s._ of Arthur Perry, of Northampton; _b._
Wellington, New Zealand, 4 May, 1886; educ. at Southampton, England;
then returned to New Zealand; joined the New Zealand Army Medical
Corps after the outbreak of war, 15 Aug. 1914; left Egypt for the
Dardanelles 12 April, 1915; took part in the landing on the 25th April,
and was killed in action there, 22 May, 1915; _unm._ Buried in the
English Cemetery, Gallipoli. Lieut.-Col. C. M. Begg, commanding N.Z.
Field Ambulance, wrote: “He was a very hard worker and was a general
favourite in the company. During the time we have been under fire
here, he was indefatigable in his attention to the wounded and never
hesitated to expose himself in the course of his duties. May it be some
comfort to you to know he died doing his duty;” and a comrade: “He died
after a month of the most heroic and unselfish work given for the sake
of others. He met this noble end as he had lived--a Christian, and by
his patience and unselfish endeavours was loved by us all.”
=PERRY, EVELYN WALTER COPLAND=, 2nd Lieut., Royal Flying Corps
(Special Reserve), only child of the late Walter Copland Perry,
Barrister-at-Law, by his wife, Evelyn Emma (29, Thurloe Square, S.W.),
sister of Lieut.-Col. Horace Robert Stopford, Coldstream Guards (killed
in action at the Modder River, 28 Nov. 1899), and only dau. of the
late Robert Stopford [grandson of James, 2nd Earl of Courtown, K.P.];
_b._ at 5, Manchester Square, London, 4 Dec. 1890; educ. St.
David’s (Mr. Joyce’s), Reigate; Ripton, and Trinity College, Cambridge,
and on leaving there worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory from Feb.
1911 to Aug. 1912. He obtained his aviation certificate (No. 130)
on a Valkyrie monoplane at Hendon, 30 Aug. 1911; was gazetted 2nd
Lieut., R.F.C. (S.R.), 21 March, 1913, and obtained his certificate
as a First Class Pilot, Upavon, 13 Aug. following. On 1 Aug. 1914,
he received orders to join the R.F.C. at Netheravon, which he did on
5 Aug., and attd. to the 3rd Squadron he flew with it to Dover on 12
Aug. The following day 42 aeroplanes flew to Amiens, whence he wrote
but one letter, full of his extreme enjoyment in these flights, and
adding that he was to keep the fine machine he had been using; but
apparently these hopes were not realised and he had to give it up. He
was killed instantaneously together with his pilot, H. E. Parfitt, on
Sunday, 16 Aug 1914, on leaving Amiens, on a B.E. 8 machine, being the
first British officer to lose his life on active service in France in
the European War. The machine apparently stalled at about 150 ft.,
and caught fire on reaching the ground. He was buried in the cemetery
at St. Acheuil, the following day; _unm._ Flight Commander P.
Shepherd, R.N., wrote: “I knew your son both at Eastchurch and Upavon,
and we have lost from the Flying Corps a most gallant officer.” Lieut.
Perry did a considerable amount of flying while on the staff of the
Royal Aircraft Factory on their early experimental machines, including
testing a hydroplane at Fleet. On leaving the Royal Aircraft Factory
he joined Mr. Sopwith at Brooklands, and flew very well on his old
“Burgess-Wright” with the “Gnome” engine. He left Mr. Sopwith to
take an Avro biplane to Portugal, where he put the machine through
its tests for the Portuguese Army. In the course of these tests he
flew over Lisbon and eventually, owing to engine failure, made a
wonderfully skilful forced landing in the Tagus, without any injury
to machine, or himself or his passenger even getting their feet wet.
On his return to England Mr. Perry, in conjunction with Mr. Beadle,
started building aeroplanes on their own account, and produced a small
biplane on Avro-cum-B.E. lines, but with many original points, which
flew extremely well (this was afterwards purchased by the Admiralty).
Mr. Perry next started aviation works at Twickenham, and produced the
interesting and beautifully made flying boat which was one of the
features of the last Olympic Show.
[Illustration: =Evelyn Walter C. Perry.=]
=PERRY, GEORGE HENRY=, Leading Stoker, 1245, H.M.S. Cressy; lost
in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.
=PERRY, GEORGE HERBERT GRESLEY=, Capt., 2nd Battn. West Yorkshire
Regt., only _s._ of Brigadier-General Hugh Whitchurch Perry,
late R.A., Army Ordnance Department, by his wife, Minna Grace, dau.
of Edward Reid Nelson Druce, of Victoria Park, near Dover; _b._
Plumstead, near Cape Town, 6 Aug. 1893; educ. Hillside, West Malvern,
Haileybury College and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut., West Yorkshires,
4 Sept. 1912, and promoted Lieut. 14 Aug. 1913; was wounded on 12
March, 1915, during the counter-attack at Neuve Chapelle, and died in
No. 7 Stationary Hospital, at Boulogne, 15 March following; _unm._
He was mentioned for gallantry in the field by F.M. Sir John (now Lord)
French, in his Despatch of 31 May, 1915, and his Commanding Officer,
Major P. L. Ingpen, wrote of him: “He was hit during the German
counter-attack on 12 March, 1915, while pluckily working his machine
guns. I need hardly say that he will be a great loss to the regt. and
one that cannot easily be replaced. It was owing to his disposition of
his guns that the regt. was able to beat off the attack with great loss
to the enemy. In my report I mentioned him for special commendation and
it was forwarded by the Brigadier.” Although he had been at the Front
some months, this was his first engagement.
[Illustration: =George H. G. Perry.=]