Percy Berry
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Percy Berry was born on 23rd December 1883 and was the son of Bob Berry, 51 Miall Street, Radford. In the 1911 census he was serving as a private, Royal Marines, onboard HMS Brilliant stationed off Bermuda and Jamaica. He married Edith Rawson in 1908 (Nottingham registration district) and they had a daughter, Clarice O, who was born in 1914. They lived at 6 Bastion Street, Denman Street, Radford, Nottingham.
One of the first Royal Naval Division men he was present at Antwerp (1914) and appears to have won his gallantry awards, DSM and Mentioned in Despatches, at Gallipoli. Percy Berry enlisted on 27th May 1902 and was transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve, following the completion of his engagement on 30th May 1914. Recalled, he served with the Chatham Battalion at Ostend and Antwerp before taking part in the Gallipoli campaign. At Gallipoli he was twice wounded, on 1st May and 30th June 1915 [3] and awarded a certificate for “Courageous and Gallant Conduct in the Field” on 3rd May 1915. Leaving the peninsula, the award of the Distinguished Service Medal was published on 6th September 1916 [4]. He later served on the Somme and was shot and killed by a sniper on 8th November 1916. He is buried in Knightsbridge Cemetery, Mesnil-Martinsart (grave ref F.62). [3] 'Nottingham Evening Post', 23rd August 1915. [4] 'London Gazette', 6th September 1916. Above information courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'Duty nobly done' Nottingham Evening Post obituary (abridged), 29 November 1916: 'Private P Berry (RMLI) 51 Miall Street, Old Radford, killed in action November 8th, present at Antwerp, twice wounded Gallipoli and awarded DSM for G(-) Tepe.'
