Percy Coleman was born in Bedmond near Abbott’s Langley in 1886 and baptised at Abbotts Langley on Friday, 10th September in the same year. He was the third son of William Rawlings Coleman and Sarah Ann Curtis who had seven children together who were: Fred, Edward, Percy, Alice, Emily, James and Nelly. William and Sarah also raised their niece Winnie (Winifred) Curtis after her mother had died in 1901. Percy’s younger brother James also fought and died in the conflict in April 1918. His biography is also on this site.

The Colemans lived next door to Percy’s grandparents, at number 12 Nash Mills which was the family home for over forty years. Indeed, Percy only left Nash Mills when he went to war. William Coleman had worked variously as a ‘Labourer’ a ‘Millwright’ and a ‘Fitter’, the latter two were high skilled trades, but always with John Dickinson & Co. Limited in Nash Mills. Most of his offspring, including Percy, followed him into the paper making industry. In the 1901 Census Percy is recorded as a ‘Millwright’s Apprentice’, presumably working alongside his father in Nash Mills maintaining machinery and equipment. Ten years later in 1911 he is recorded as a ‘Papermaker’.

Percy married Ethel May Jennings on Saturday, 21st June 1913 in St. John’s Parish Church, Kingston-upon-Thames. Ethel had been working as a ‘Kitchen Maid’ at the home of Colonel Elford Pearse, Elm Lodge in Elstree. The house had previously been the home of a famous Victorian actor and close friend of Charles Dickens, William MacCready. It is not known how Percy and Ethel met but having married, they went on to have two children together. Their son Frederick was born on the 3rd May 1914 and their daughter Vera followed on the 26th September 1917. Tragically, the new baby’s father had been killed in France only two months earlier. Following Percy’s death, Ethel did not remarry and in 1939 the family was still living together in Twickenham along with Frederick’s wife Doris.

Percy was called up for service after the second Military Service Act was passed in May 1916 which, extended liability for military service to married men. He enlisted with the Northamptonshire Regiment in August of the same year and was sent to France on the 20th June 1917. Shortly after his arrival he, along with seventy-five other Northants soldiers, transferred on the 8th July to the 12th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and joined their new comrades two days later.

For seven days between the 17th and 25th July, the 12th Royal Fusiliers marched from Henneveux, just east of Boulougne to take up positions close to Pilckem, north of Ypres in Belgium. This was a distance of just over 90 miles (148 kms) and the men averaged approximately 13 miles each day they marched. This move was the precursor to the start of the Third Battle of Ypres and the opening assault was to take place at Pilckem Ridge.

The Battalion War Diaries record: “June 24/17 Fine. The Battalion addressed by the Archbishop of York…” This was the controversial figure of Cosmo Gordon Lang whom many in Britain perceived to be pro-German owing to comments he made relating to the Kaiser and the King Edward VII at Queen Victoria’s funeral. He was later translated to Archbishop of Canterbury where controversy continued to court him. He became the leading voice insisting that Edward VIII give up the throne during the ‘Abdication Crisis’ in 1936.

One week later Percy was in action for the first time since arriving at the Front. The Battalion attacked at 03.10 a.m. on the morning of the 31st July and moved approximately 200 yards in two hours before being held up by shelling and machine gun fire form the well-entrenched German positions. For the rest of the day the men suffered heavy bombardment and enfilade rifle fire from the enemy and on a number of occasions sent communications back to H.Q. requesting support. Unfortunately, none of these messages got through owing to the runners being killed or wounded and it was not until 11.00 p.m. that relief came when the 2nd Yorkshire Regiment arrived. The casualties inflicted on the 12th Royal Fusiliers on the day were recorded as “O R Killed 30, O R Wounded 130”. Percy Coleman’s war had consisted mainly of travelling and marching and he was tragically cut down after only a few hours on the only day that he saw action against the enemy.

Percy was one of the unfortunate victims killed on Tuesday, 31st July 1917.

He was commemorated with his other work colleagues from Nash Mills on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley.

Percy is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 6 and 8.

He was 32 years old when he died.

Percy was eligible for the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.