Victor George Thomas Perkins was born in East Sheen, Mortlake, Surrey on Tuesday, 13th April 1897 and baptised at Christ Church a month later on Sunday, 9th May. He was the oldest of four boys born to Tom Perkins and Mary Elizabeth Barnes and his siblings were: Edmund, Arthur and Tom. Victor’s brother Edmund also enlisted when he was eighteen, but fortunately the War ended before he could go overseas. Tragically, his brother Arthur was killed during the Second World War, as the result of an accident whilst a munitions worker at Brocks firework factory in Hemel Hempstead. When Victor was born, his father Tom worked as the "Foreman" in a local market garden and the family lived at Orchard Cottage in East Sheen.

In 1904, Victor’s father Tom took on the tenancy of the Three Horseshoes public house in Leverstock Green. His mother Elizabeth ran the attached grocery store and a market garden was established behind the pub. The family remained at the Three Horseshoes until the 1920’s and Victor’s brother Edmund operated a taxi service to Boxmoor Station, starting around 1919, from the premises. The pub eventually became the village petrol station.

Victor attended the village school in Leverstock Green and was a member of the Boy Scouts alongside, Fred Harrowell and Bernard Wright who also died in the Great War. When he left school aged thirteen in 1911, he started work as an apprentice at the "Dairy Outfit Co Ltd", situated at Cornerhall. This company manufactured items such as milk churns, ladles along with other utensils for the dairy industry and known locally as “the old tin can”. It seems that Victor, like many young men, tried to enlist while underage when war broke out, but he was thwarted because of his poor eyesight (he is wearing glasses in his work photograph to the right). However, as soon as he was eligible to enlist at eighteen years of age in May 1915, he went to Bedford and enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment.

He was sent to train in Felixstowe with the 3rd Battalion and when he was sent overseas, Victor was posted to the 7th (Service) Battalion or “The Shiney Seventh” as it was popularly known. It is not known exactly when he went overseas, but it would have been after basic training and when he had reached the age of nineteen, so some time after April 1916. He probably arrived at Picquigny in France as part of a draft in mid-June, as preparations were underway for the Somme Offensive. The 7th Battalion was heavily engaged during The Battles of the Somme, specifically at the Battle of Albert which included, the storming of Pommiers Redoubt on the first day of the attack. This was followed by the Battle of Bazentin, when the Division captured Trones Wood in July and then the Battle of Thiepval in September.

In 1917, Victor was involved during the Operations on the Ancre, including the Actions of Miraumont in February and the Capture or Irles in March. In May he fought in the Battle of Arras, namely at the Third Battle of the Scarpe. The “Shiney Seventh” then moved to Belgium and Victor fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, specifically the Capture of Westhoek in August and then the First Battle of Passchendaele in October. Having survived these encounters, Victor moved back to France with his unit in February 1918 for a period of rest, relief and training around the Remigny area. On the 21st March he fought in the Battle of St Quentin, the opening phase of the Second Battle of the Somme.

Four days of intense fighting followed with heavy bombardment and machine gun fire resulting in significant casualties. The Battalion War Diaries recorded the following on the 26th March: “O.R. Killed 22 Wounded 140 Wounded & Missing 4 Missing 99”

It is not clear if Victor was Killed in Action or Died of Wounds, indeed his "Register of Effects" state it could have been either. What is certain though is that he fell during this battle.

Victor died on Friday, 22nd March 1918.

He was commemorated on his parent’s headstone in Holy Trinity Churchyard as well as the Leverstock Green village War Memorial.

Victor is Remembered with Honour on Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, Panel 28 and 29.

He was only 20 years old when he died.

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