Percy Vivian Claude Perry

He served in the ranks of the Sherwood Foresters with service number 42 and 2540. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant 2/7th battalion on 16th March 1915. Perry landed with his battalion at Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) on the morning of 26 April 1916 and was killed in action during the battle at Mount Street Bridge He was one of the 31 men of the Sherwood Foresters to be killed during the Irish Rebellion 1916. His death certificate shows :- Percy Claud Perry, aged 32, married, of Forest Road, Nottingham, a Lieutenant in the Sherwood Foresters, died at 33 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, on 26 April 1916. The cause of death was Gunshot wounds to Thigh and Abdomen, Haemorrhage, 8 hours, certified.The informant of his death was S. Lemphris, 2 Clarendon Street, Nottingham, the person taking charge of the Body. He registered the death on 8 May 1916He is buried at Nottingham General cemetery.

Inscription on headstone, Nottingham General Cemetery: ‘In ever loving memory of Lieutenant Percy VC Perry 2/7th Sherwood Foresters, the dearly beloved husband of Hilda Mary Perry and youngest son of GH Perry killed in action at Dublin in the Irish Rebellion April 26th 1916. ‘Thy will be done.’’Nottingham Evening Post, Monday 1 May 1916: ‘Sherwood Foresters’ Heavy Losses. Four officers killed, fourteen wounded. The latest official list of casualties issued from Dublin includes the names of a number of officers belonging to the Sherwood Foresters who have laid down their lives or been wounded in action in Ireland during the past week. Most of them are members of well-known Nottingham families. Included amongst the killed are Captain FC Dietrichseen [photograph] and Lieutenant Percy LC Perry, both of whom have lived in the city for some years, and were held in the highest esteem by a large circle of friends. Lieutenant Perry, the son of Mr GH Perry, Forest-road, was a partner in the firm of GH Perry and Sons, lace manufacturers, Boulevard Works, Nottingham, and was 32 years of age. He volunteered for service upon the outbreak of war, and received a omission in March of last year. A very sad circumstance is the fact that he was only married barely six weeks ago in Nottingham to Miss Hilda Baxter, well known in local musical circles.' (Source: www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)Nottingham Evening Post – Thursday 18 May 1916: ‘At the Nottingham City Council today letters were read from: Mr GH Perry, Mr GH Perry jun, and Mrs SV Brown [Browne] thanking the Council for the resolutions of sympathy passed with them upon the deaths in Ireland of Lieut. Percy Perry and Lieut. MB Brown [Montague Bernard Browne, SF]. Mrs Brown [Browne] remarked that she was proud to think the Notts. Regiments had done so well for their King and country.’ (Source: www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)Pte. Lawrence Cole, 2/7th Notts & Derby (The Robin Hoods), sent this account of his experiences in the Easter Rising to the local newspaper:“The Robin Hoods have done glorious deeds in the rebellion over here in Ireland. I’m sorry to say we were in the thickest of the fight all the time. It was on Tuesday April 25th that we left Watford for Ireland, though at the time we did not know there was trouble of any kind in the Emerald Isle. We landed on Irish soil about four o’clock on Wednesday morning. After a short stay in _____ Harbour, we were moved on to Dublin, a distance of about six miles. On the way we heard what the trouble was about, and were prepared for lively happenings. Here I must say that the better classes of the population looked after us very well. They simply showered everything imaginable on us, nice things to eat, and plenty of fags, and tobacco to smoke.“We had just reached the outskirts of Dublin when the trouble began. We were marching in fours, when shots were fired from all sides. Instantly we received orders from the officers to split up on both sides of the road, and then the firing began. The rebels had secured possession of a house at the corner of four crossroads and this is where we lost two of our brave officers: Lieutenant Percy Perry of Nottingham, and another while several others were wounded, and about a dozen men killed and wounded. It was here that my poor chum from Bulwell, Pte. P. Jeffs, was killed. I saw him fall but he was dead when I got to his side.“We were powerless with our rifles and, therefore, steadied up until the bombs arrived. I had pity for the poor rebels when we did get at them for we blew the house and everyone in it to atoms with our bombs.“About 200 yards further on, a much bigger battle was fought. The rebels had obtained possession over a canal bridge. It seemed as though they were firing all the rifles in the world, as shots were coming from every window, door and even cracks in the walls. It was terrible, we had to go over the canal bridge in sectional rushes, the first lot to go was an officer and 16 men. Alas only the officer and three men reached the other side. While we were waiting to go over the bridge another company of the Sherwood Foresters had worked themselves over a bridge further down the canal. They at once began to bomb the side of the house. It was terrible to see how our men were falling.“Immediately we got over the bridge the bombers set to work in fine style and it was not long before the house and schools were in full flame. The heat from the flames was awful, and it was freely stated that about 69 of the rebels, who were inside, were burnt alive.“It was about nine o’clock at night when the firing ceased, and we were put into billets for a well-earned rest. We had just got settled down when the sentry rushed in and told us the rebels were on the roof of the house in which we were billeted. We got up off the floor where we were trying to sleep – fully dressed, of course – and got through a trap-door on the roof. Everyone of us expected to be shot as we went through this trap-door as snipers were on the go in all directions. The houses seemed to have been built for the purpose of fighting as anyone could creep from one end of the street to the other on the roods without being seen.“It was hard to find out where the rebels’ shots were coming from, as they used smokeless powder, and we couldn’t tell who were friends, and who were enemies. Even women were firing rifles at us, and dozens of women and children were hit by stray shots.“We were searching the housetops for rebels until about two o’clock on Thursday morning, and then went back to our billets. We stayed there until the South Staffords came at four o’clock to relieve us. We then went to the rear and had a rest after a good hard day’s fighting. In our battalion there were about 220 casualties, though several of the missing have since turned up.“I saw in some of the English newspapers that we used machine guns on the first day, but that is not true as we had none. The Robin Hoods were the first in action, and it was the hand grenade that won the day as we couldn’t touch the rebels in their houses with our rifle fire. We had to blow them out.”For an excellent account of Sherwood Forester involvement in the Easter Rising see 'Blood on the Streets' by Paul O'Brien (Mercier Press, 2008)The following is an article published on 10th May 1916 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “HONOURING THE BRAVE. “LIEUT. P. L. C. PERRY. “MILITARY FUNERAL IN NOTTINGHAM. “With full military honours, the funeral of Lieut. Percy L. C. Perry, of the Sherwood Foresters, who died in action in Ireland on April 26th, took place at the Nottingham General Cemetery to-day. [10th May 1916] The deceased officer was the youngest son of Mr. G. H. Perry, Forest-road, and was held in the highest esteem in the city, being closely identified with the lace trade for many years.“A brief service was held at the house of Mr. G. H. Perry, the Rev. J. Somerfield (army chaplain), officiating. The coffin, which was covered with the Union Jack, and bore the deceased's sword and cap, was conveyed to the cemetery on a gun carriage drawn by horses ridden by members of the Army Corps. The firing party consisted of a detachment of the Lincolnshire Regiment, and the bearers were drawn from the Robin Hoods. The principal mourners were Mr. G. H. Perry (father), Mr. G. H. Perry, jun., and Mr. A. E. Perry (brothers), Mr. G. W. Baxter (father-in-law), Lieut, E. O. Perry and Mr. B. Creassey (nephews), Mr. G. E. Alton, Mr. H. M. Dexter, and Dr. O. Robinson (brothers-in-law), Mr. F. J. Perry, Mr. F. W. Perry, and Lieut. J. L. Miller (cousins), Lieut. George Fish, Mr. Aaron Mellor, Rev. J. Somerfield, Dr. James Millar, Mr. A. Lee, Sgt. Simpkins (a member of the deceased officer's company), and the Rev. G. West.“A large number of people assembled at the cemetery to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased, these including the Mayor (Coun. J. G. Small), the Sheriff (Coun. J. Clarkson), Ald. J. H. Gregg, Ald. F. R. Radford, Mr. J. H. Richards (representing the Town Clerk), Mr. T. Fish, Mr. E. Hickling, Mr. H. D. Bright, Mr. W. R. Baggaley, Mr. W. Swanwick, Mr. A. C. Radford, Mr. R. I. Dexter, W. F. Raynor, Mr. D. Walker, and Mr E. R. Newton. “The military representatives present included Col. J. R. Starkey, M.P., Major Baines, Capt. J. A. H. Green, Capt. Wrightson. Capt. F. G. Hickling (who was in action with Lieut. Perry in Ireland, and was wounded), Lieut. Simms, Lieuts. Allen, C. D. Coulby. Cartwright, Smith, and Campbell. “There were a large number of beautiful floral tributes and many messages of sympathy were received, including the following telegram from the King and Queen: “Buckingham Palace, O.H.M.S. “The King and Queen have heard with deep regret that your son has lost his life in the recent disturbances in Ireland, and desire me to express their sincere sympathy with you in your sorrow. “KEEPER OF THE PRIVY PURSE. “ARMY CHAPLAIN'S TRIBUTE. “After reading the committal sentences, the Rev. J. Somerfield delivered a short address, observing that Nottingham mourned that day one of her bravest citizens, one who gave all he had to give for honour, for freedom, for King and country. Lieut. Perry was one of the first to respond to his country's call, and gave a lead to the men of Nottingham, many of whom had left home and comforts for all the horrors of warfare, and some of whom had laid down their lives for their country. They honoured the brave, while realising the grave responsibility that rested upon them. The call came stronger than ever to all men and women to make the great sacrifice for the things that were more precious than life itself. “Their friend and comrade was a brave soldier and a loyal citizen. He was a well equipped officer for his work, loved those under him. One the last acts of his life was to help a comrade to bear his heavy burden when going into action. He was not only a brave soldier, but a devoted and loyal son, a loving husband, a loyal friend, and a true comrade of those who now mourned him. Their hearts went out to those who felt that great loss the keenest; yet his name would be emblazoned amongst these who would be honoured for all time. Their hearts were full with sorrow, but there came to them a sense of thankfulness that there were such men prepared to make the great sacrifice. “Let them consecrate themselves anew to the holy cause, and be willing to follow in the steps of those who laid down their lives for truth and for righteousness. Might it please God to hasten the time when the cause of righteousness should win, and the powers of evil be overthrown, and when nations would dwell together in safety and goodwill.“Three volleys, having been fired, the buglers sounded the "Last Post" at the conclusion of a most impressive ceremony.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918