Percy Wibberley Ulyatt
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Percy Wibberley was the son of John and Sarah Ann Ulyatt (née Marshall). His father John was born in Halam, Nottinghamshire, in 1870, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Ulyatt. In 1871 his parents were living in Halam with their three children, including John, and Elizabeth's widowed mother, Mary Wibberley. His mother Sarah Ann was born in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, in about 1866, the daughter of James and Sarah Marshall, and baptised at Cotgrave All Saints on 4 November 1866. John and Sarah Ann were married at Cotgrave All Saints on 11 May 1893 and had two children, Percy Wibberley b. Halam 1894 (J/A/S) and Florence Mary b. Southwell. John Ulyatt died in 1897 aged about 27. In 1901 the widowed Sarah, a dressmaker, and her two children, were living on Westgate, Southwell. Also in the household was a boarder, Lizzie Freeborough, a lace mender. Sarah (42), Percy (16) a grocer's assistant, and Florence, a scholar, were recorded on the 1911 Census at Curzon's Yard, Westgate, Southwell. Percy was living at 9 Northgate, Southwell, when he enlisted in 1915. In 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, Sarah was living in Southwell with her married daughter Florence St Clair (m. J/F/M 1917) and her husband Ernest and their children. Sarah died in 1956.
Private Percy Ulyatt enlisted on 27th May 1915 at Newark. He gave his age as 20 yrs and 319 days, occupation grocer's assistant, and address as 9 Northgate, Southwell. He was posted to the Sherwood Foresters on 29th May 1915 and served in France from 6th March 1916 Percy was killed in action on 31st July 1917 and is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium (grave ref. III.C.7). The history of the cemetery suggests that Percy's grave may have been brought into the cemetery after the Armistice. He qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal. CWGC - History of Hooge Crater Cemetery (extract): 'Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September. Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and the following smaller cemeteries [listed].' (www.cwgc.org)
WW1 Pension Ledgers Index Cards: named his mother Sarah A Ulyatt of Westgate, Southwell.
