Military History

Percy is listed as being killed in action during the Battle of Frezenberg. The Leicestershire Yeomanry war diary (National Archives ref WO 95/1155/7) entries for the periond 12th to 14th May are transcribed below. More about the Leicestershire Yeomanry and the Battle of Frezenberg, described as the Yeomanry's finest action, can be found here on the Leicestershire Yeomanry website. Our thanks for the transcription.

Brielen - 12 May 1915: Stood to in dugouts at Brielen and gave men exercise in use of respirators.

7.30am: Moved off and took over trenches just North of railway, near Bellewaerde Farm from Royal Fusiliers. B Echelon ordered to supply 32 more men as reinforcements. This party, with others of the 7th Cavalry Brigade set out in buses under 2/Lt T E Brooks and joined Regiment in huts at Brielen.

Bellewaerde Farm - 13 May 1915: Position of Regiment at midnight 12th/13th, 700 yards West of road joining Zonnebeke Road and Ypres-Menin Road: Extreme right resting on railway running NE from Ypres, and extending to farm about 300 yards NNW of railway.

B Sqn occupied North, C Sqn South part of front-line trenches. The trenches were bad, 5 feet deep and 2 1/2 feet wide at the bottom. Parapets at front and back slanted very much and were made of lose soil. There were few sandbags and no dug outs or other protection from shell fire.

A Sqn occupied support trenches 300 yards in rear and on left flank of B Sqn. M.G.s in C Sqn trench close to railway. HQ in Dug outs on road joining Zonnebeke Road and Menin Road, 150 yards North of railway. During the night the trenches were somewhat improved.

3.30am: Heavy shell fire 3:30 am to 6:00 am but few casualties. The enemy then began to pour over their parapets with the evident intention of attacking, but being met, by heavy fire from our men. They retired again to their trenches.

A second and more violent bombardment immediately began and was kept up until 7:30am. Our losses during this bombardment were heavier and the M.G.s were knocked out and trench blown in.

7.30am: The enemy attacked and occupied the advanced trenches vacated by the Regiment on our left; from there they gained part of the B Sqn trenches. They then advanced within 200 yards of the support trenches and dug themselves in, using steel shields as protection.

Those of the enemy who had occupied the B Sqn trench advanced along the trench, and Major B R Leibert, Lt. W S Fielding -Johnson and SSM J P Swain, with what was left of B Sqn retired down the trench and joined C Sqn. Here Major W F Martin ordered barricades of sandbags to be placed across the trench. Some of the trench party fired over barricades at the enemy advancing from the flank, others at the enemy advancing from the front. major W F Martin, Major Leibert, Lt C Peake and 2/Lt T E Brooks were all killed.

The casualties were so heavy that Lt Fielding-Johnson, the only surviving officer, decided to retire down the trench to cross the railway and to join the 3rd Dragoon Guards on the other side of it. he had great difficulty in crossing the railway which was swept by the enemy's machine guns. Finally the crossing was effected by building a sandbag parapet across the railway and Lt Fielding-Johnson joined the 3rd DGs with SSM Swain and 14 men, the sole survivors of the two squadrons of Leicestershire yeomanry who had occupied the advance trenches.

6.00am: Lt. Col. Hon P C Evans-Freke decided to establish a small advanced post at a building about 150 yards in advance of the support trenches. He personally placed 2/Lt T H Simpkin with 15 men in charge of this post. While returning to the support trenches he was shot dead.

12midday: The supports held this position until the Brigade Major Capt D P Tollemache arrived. The enemy were by this time very near at hand carrying shield which appeared to be quite bullet proof and were digging themselves in. Major Ricardo displayed great gallantry in holding onto the support trenches although wounded four separate times.

2.30pm: When the counterattack was made by the RHG, 10th Hussars and Essex Yeomanry, the remains of A Sqn, led by Capt Tollemache and Lt T W Best joined in the charge. the counterattack drove the enemy out of the new trenches which were made near our support trenches, but did not retake our advanced trenches; consequently the dead and the wounded were never recovered.

The Regiment was relieved during the night 13th/14th by the Royal Irish Fusiliers and reached their huts at Brielen about 4:00am on the 14th.

The casualties of the action on the 13th were as follows:

Officers Killed (5): Lt.Col. The Hon P C Evans-Freke; Major W F Martin; Major B R Leibert;
Lt C Peake; 2/Lt T E Brooks
Other Ranks Killed: 47

Officers Wounded (5): Major Ricardo; Capt C H Martin; Capt E R Hanbury; Capt G R Codrington; Lt T W Best
Other Ranks Wounded: 90

Other Ranks Missing: 39

Brielen - 14 May 1915: Stood to in dug outs at Brielen