South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project
The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One |
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Military History |
| Theatre of War | Medals | Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial |
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| France & Flanders | 1914-15 Star, British War & Victory Medals | Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery |
| Arrived in Theatre | Medal Citation (if app) | SWFHS Area Memorials |
| 21 Nov 1915 in Boulogne, France | ~ | Bickenhill, St. Peters |
| Marston Green, St. Leonards | ||
| Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed | Date and Place Enlisted | Marston Green, Garden of Remembrance |
| Local Actions on the Somme | September 1914 in Birmingham | |
| Other War Memorials | ||
| Place of Death | Previous Regiments or Units | Ditton, Kent |
| Suzanne, Somme | ~ | |
Circumstances of Death
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Percy is listed as being killed in action on December 15th 1915 in the trenches near Maricourt and has the dubious distinction of being the one of two first two men from his battalion to be killed during the war. The 15th Battalion war diary entries for the 14th & 15th December are transcribed below along with an extract from The Birmingham Pals book. Both suggest that Percy was killed on the 14th not the 15th. War Diary EntriesSuzanne - 14/12/15: 8am - Officers and NCO’s of B 7 D Coys visit trenches for 1st (individual) period of instruction under the Manchester & Devon Regts (Sector A3 & A4). Casualties. Killed 2 Other Ranks 5.30pm: A working party of 3 Officers and 100 men per Coy (sent 2 Coys) left the Camp for Maricourt to carry Iron shelters, returning about 11.30pm Suzanne - 15/12/15: 9am – Officers & NCO’s of B & D Coys return to Suzanne. 4pm – B Coy left Suzanne for the 2nd (Platoon) period of training 4.15pm – D Coy left Suzanne & [both] marched to HQ subsectors A3 & A4 respectively Picked up guides furnished by the Manchesters & Devons for each Platoon, M/Gun section etc. The Manchesters & Devons instructed in their methods of making supplies for their trenches. Casualty 2/Lt E.G. Crisp wounded in action (since died) whilst out on an instructional bombing expedition. Book ExtractExtract from The Birmingham Pals by Terry Carter (Buy Here) Captain Charles Bill wrote that on the following morning (14 December) the Officers and NCOs of both companies (B&D) went into the line at Maricourt for 24 hours instruction and the Battalion suffered its first casualties, two NCOs being killed. They were no. 870 Cpl Daniel Joseph Greasly, aged 25 from Alum Rock. The other was no. 831 Cpl Percy Taylor Broomfield, aged 31, from Marston Green. Both men were originally buried in a small cemetery in Maricourt. During sometime in the 1920s all those buried there were exhumed and re-buried in Cerisy Gailly Military Cemetery, near the village of Chipilly. [Click here for the CWGC Grave Concentration Report confirming the original place of burial] |
| Personal & Family History |
| Birth Date/Place | Baptism Date/Place |
|---|---|
| Oct Qtr 1885 in Ditton, Kent | |
| Parents Names | Abode |
| Taylor (died 1893) and Emma Broomfield | both deceased |
| Schools | Colleges |
| Princess Alice Orphanage | ~ |
| Address History | Employment History |
| 1885 - Ditton, Kent | 1891 - School age |
| 1891 - Vine Terrace, Ditton, Kent | 1901 - Scholar in Orphanage |
| 1901 - Princess Alice Orphanage, Sutton Coldfield | 1911 - Tobacconists Invoice Clerk |
| 1911 - Marston Green | |
| 1914 - Marston Green | |
- Percy's mother Emma seems to have given him up after the death of his father. Emma died in Nov 1908 at Kent County Lunatic Asylum
- Percy's next of kin is given as his stepbrother, E. F. Newman, of Arrow Cottages, Bell Lane, Ditton.