Perry, James 1915

James Perry. Died 28th April 1915
James was born in 1892 to father, Alfred and mother Lydia. He was the third born and had three siblings, two brothers and a sister. By the age of 20, James had become a private in the Hampshire Regiment. His father was a labourer, born in Rusham in Wiltshire and his mother was from Devon. Lydia’s father, James Langley was living with them in the 1901 census and was a pensioner from the army. The census also tells us James was born in Wokingham as were the four children. It is possible therefore that the Perry’s moved to Wokingham to live with the James, who had been widowed.

James joined the Hampshire’s 1st Battalion some time before 1911 and was stationed in Aldershot, Hampshire and by August 1914 were stationed in Colchester. As part of the 11th Brigade in 4th Division, they moved to Harrow and landed at Le Havre on 23 August 1914. By 1915, James was a Lance Corporal in the 2nd Battalion and had been killed in Gallipoli, Turkey. On the 13th February 1915, the 2nd Battalion came under the orders of the 88th Brigade in 29th Division and moved to Warwick. They sailed from Avonmouth on 29 March 1915 for Gallipoli, going via Egypt and landed at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915. James was to die only three days after landing.

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916.

Name: PERRY, JAMES WILLIAM
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Hampshire Regiment Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 23
Date of Death: 28/04/1915
Service No: 8201
Additional information: Son of Alfred and Lydia Perry, of Easthampstead Cottage Laundry, Wokingham, Berks.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 125-134 or 223-226 228-229 & 328. Memorial: HELLES MEMORIAL

Easthampstead Cottage Laundry, Wokingham, Berks.