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  1. #1
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    Default Percy Leonard Edwards

    I am researching my family tree. My grandmother was an Edwards. I have found all of her 10 siblings. One of her older brothers was a Percy Leonard Edwards DOB 19/03/1894, Peckham.
    I have a Killed in Action (16/08/1917) report for a brave soul of the same name and the place of birth tallies.
    How can I be sure they are one and the same person as no date of birth or other personal details appear, unless I am not aware of how to access them.
    I spoke at length to her about her siblings before her death. She 'remembered' waving him off but she thought he was to moving to Australia..... 9 years difference in age and she was very young at the time.
    She thought she remembered a letter from him from the Blue Mountains in NSW.
    Having found this war record I am now wondering if this was a tale told to her and her younger sisters to save them from the awful truth.
    Is there a way I find out if the Percy Leonard Edwards KIA is definitely OUR Percy?
    Many thanks

  2. #2

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    The Commonwealth War Grave (cwgc.org) have only one Percy Leonard (although they have a couple without a middle name), presumably the guy you refer to since the death dates are the same - service number 13172, 1 Btn Essex Regt. He's on the Tyne Cot memorial in Belgium. "Soldiers who died in the Great War says that he was a Sgt. On the medal index he's just listed as PL Edwards, it says that he started his War on 21 Aug 1915, Balkans.

    The medal index also shows a Percy L - Pte M2/102477 Edwards in the Army Service Corps. He presumably survived and a PL in the King's (Liverpool) Regt (he transferred to the RAF). There's also hordes of Percys without a middle name.

    I suggest that you have a look for the relevant local newspaper of the time and see if it carries casualty lists.

  3. #3
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    Hi Lesley thank you for your reply. This is the same information I have managed to find about Percy Leonard. I was hoping sthere might be more information to firm up my 'claim' to him! I wish they had put the date of birth on official documents......or maybe they did, just not on the ones I have found?
    I saw the Liverpool PL Edwards but ruled him out due to our Percy being born and breed in London and the family was still there after the war.
    Then the hoards with no middle name.....
    I will try the local newspaper route, are they likely to be on line or will I need to go somewhere to view?
    Many thanks

  4. #4

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    His DOB would have been on his service record, but 2/3 of WW1 service records were destroyed during WW2. I checked cwgc because sometimes family is mentioned on the stones, but not this time.

    You can't use the Regiment as an indicator of where he was from. As the numbers of casualties rose, men were sent where they were needed, and even moved from one regiment to another. I've seen men who were in 3 or more regiments, each with a different number, and some from darkest England in a kilted regiment, presumably because that was where the need was greatest at the time they joined.

    Are you sure that he didn't survive the War?

  5. #5
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    There is one more clue:

    Ancestry has a Percy Leonard EDWARDS in its dataset “UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901 – 1929”

    The details match the one you suspect may be your man but with the addition of his father named Edward as the recipient of Percy's war gratuity.

    The 1901 Census has a Percy EDWARDS living with his family in Camberwell, father's name Edward. Is this your family?
    RG13 Piece 505 Folio 104 Page 12

    Peter

  6. #6
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    Peter. Yes! MY Percy is on 1901, aged 6 and 1911 census aged 17 at 39 Sunwell Street,Peckham with his father Edward Edwards, mother and siblings.
    So we have a Percy Leonard Edwards mentioned twice, once with his father being called Edward.
    It sounds promising that his is ours, but I am guessing there will no absolute certainty?
    Thank you.
    PS you may have gathered I am new to this, I assume the letters/numbers relate to the page on that census?

  7. #7
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    Hi Lesley, got it about the regiments, I will revisit Percy L.
    About him surviving the war, my grandmother did not see him again after seeing him off 'to Australia' and only recalls 1 letter. I am in touch with a great niece of his and she never heard of a great uncle Percy.
    I think it will be a question of eliminating every possibility. I was hoping I had missed a document that would rule a death in WW1 in or out.
    Thanks again

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by olalola View Post
    Peter. Yes! MY Percy is on 1901, aged 6 and 1911 census aged 17 at 39 Sunwell Street,Peckham with his father Edward Edwards, mother and siblings.
    So we have a Percy Leonard Edwards mentioned twice, once with his father being called Edward.
    It sounds promising that his is ours, but I am guessing there will no absolute certainty?
    Thank you.
    PS you may have gathered I am new to this, I assume the letters/numbers relate to the page on that census?
    Not certain, just persuasive! That elusive date of birth is what you really wanted. Had there been a surviving military record, it may not have carried an actual date of birth anyway. Often a man's attestation will state his age in years and months and one has to calculate back from the date of the attestation (assuming the soldier has given the correct info!).

    Yes, it's good practice to quote the census reference details, as it should make it easier/quicker for others to find the relevant page.

    Peter

  9. #9
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    Thank you Peter, I am learning something/s new every day!

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