Biography of Private John William (Jack) Perry (70021)
17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
Formerly 4862 3/4th Lincolnshire Regiment
Died 30th July 1917

Mother

• Name: Edith Amy Creasey
• DOB: 1873
• Place Of Birth: Swineshead, Lincolnshire, England
• Marriage: 1896 Boston District

• None found

Marriage

• No marriage for John has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper Mentions

• Boston Guardian Saturday 8th September 1917
  LOCAL MEN KILLIED IN ACTION
  Pte. J. Perry (Boston), Sherwood Foresters

• Boston Guardian Saturday 15th September 1917
  Killed in action, Pte. Jno., Perry, Sherwood Foresters, of Bicker

• Boston Guardian Saturday 15th September 1917
  PTE. J. PERRY OF BICKER.
  Pte Jno. Perry 17th Sherwood Foresters, of Bicker, has been killed in action. The deceased soldier joined the 3/4th Lincolnshire Regiment on November 11th 1915, at the age of seventeen. Sent to France in July 1916, he was gassed in October of the that year and on leaving hospital was transferred to the “D” Company of the Sherwood Foresters in whose ranks he fell fighting on July 31st, as he was engaged in making a charge against the enemy.
  A memorial service was held in the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Bicker on Sunday afternoon last, a goodly number including most of his relatives being present. The Rev. Gervase Hall conducted the service, taking for his text, John xvc., 13v. He called attention to the bright, cheerful and promising life which had been voluntarily sacrificed for the good of others. The deceased was for many years a scholar in the Bicker Primitive Methodist Sunday school and the teaching he received there had much to do in helping him to bear so cheerfully the hardships pf a soldier’s life and his willingness to make the great sacrifice for the sake of his country. The choir feelingly sang one of his favourite hymns during the service. “Will there be any stars in my Crown,” Miss Carrotte ably presiding at the organ.

Military Records

Medals

• The British Medal
  The Victory Medal

Memorials

• UK: Bourne, Roll of Honour in Bourne Abbey Church
• Bourne, Bourne War Memorial in the Memorial Gardens

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
• In memory of Private John William Perry, 70021, 17th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) who died on 30 July 1917 Age 18
  Adopted son of Mrs H. J. Bannister of 3 Victoria Place, Bourne, lincs
  Remembered with honour, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

• On the 11th November 1915 Jack enlisted into the 3/4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment and following training eventually posted to France in June 1916.

  Whilst serving with his Battalion in October, Jack was gassed and hospitalised. Following his return to fitness he was posted to the 17th Service Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (Welbeck Rangers) and served with “D” Company.

  By June 1917 Jack’s new Battalion were serving in the Ypres Salient in the area around the Ypres-Yser Canal Bank and Irish Farm working every nightime hour possible. On the 1st of July moved to Moulle in Northern France via Poperinge.
  They stayed in the Tilques area undertaking training in advance of planned operations until the 22nd of July when they were bussed back to the Ypres area.
  On the 29th July they were moved up to the Canal Bank area and on the 30th “Y” day they were resting prior to the attack. At 10:30pm the Battalion moved up to the place of assembly in the Hill Top Trenches.

  Assembly was complete by 1:15am on “Z” day 31st July and the Battalion Diary reports that no casualties occurred whilst the Battalion was in assembly.

  Zero Hour was at 3:50am on the 31st when the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Battle of Passchendaele) started. The 6th Army Corps in which the 39th Division and hence the 17th Sherwood Foresters were posted were to attack on a one and a half to two mile front.

  The Battalion Diary offers the following report of actions on the 31st July;
  “Yesterday we carried all before us, it was one of the Battalion’s greatest days lines etc, formation. we penetrated the enemy defences, which he had held for over 2 years, to a depth of 2 miles. It was a glorious feat and worthy of the Sherwood Foresters’ record. The day is very bad and the ground full of water and mud. We have secured the crossings of the Steenbeek and have dug in, the enemy is expected to counter attack. The Battalion is quite prepared to resist to the end.

  In total the men and officers of the Battalion were recommended for the following gallantry awards for actions on the 31st July 1917, the first day of the battle of Passchendaele.
  26 x Military Medals
  1 x Military Medal Bar
  1 x Distinguished Service Order
  9 x Military Cross
  1 x Distinquished Conduct Medals

  The Battalion held firm against counter attacks, shelling etc until they were relieved on the 5th August.

  Private John William “Jack” Perry was killed in action during the first day of the battle of Passchendaele.
  All official records state that he fell on the 30th July however one newspaper record states that it was the 31st, which if you take the information from the battalion diaries makes more sense.

Sources

• WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• British Newspaper Archive.