2nd Lieut Percy Barlow

• Age: 22
• From: Chester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 15th November 1917
• Commemorated at: Ypres Reservoir Cem
  Panel Ref: I.A.42

Percy was born in the fouth quarter of 1894 at Chester,  the only son of Frank Barlow and his wife Emma (nee Stephenson). He was baptised on 08th May 1895 at St. Paul's Church, Chester.

The 1901 Census finds the family living at 37 Ivy Terrace, Hookersbrook, Newton by Chester.

His father is Francis aged 36, born in Stockton Heath in 1865 is a commercial traveller in Wine and Spirits, whilst his mother Emma is aged 43, born 1868 in Chester as were their children. Percy is shown as 6 whilst he has two siblings, elder sister Sybil M and younger sister Bertha C.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 9 Fenney Street Broughton Salford.

His parents are present in the household and  have been married for twenty two years and had four children of which one had died. Those listed on the record are; Sybil Margaret aged 21, born 1890 no occupation, Percy aged 16, born 1895 an office boy in a drapery warehouse and Bertha Constance aged 12, born 1899 is at school.

He enlisted in Manchester  on 01st September 1914 and originally served as Private No 6459, in the 16th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment. He was commissioned on 25th April 1917 and was serving in the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as a Second Lieutenant when he was killed in action on the 15^th November, 1917 aged 22.

The Battalion diaries state working parties went out as on previous days, leaving the camp at 10.45am and returning at 5.00pm. The parties were heavily shelled and casualties resulted. Second Lieutenant Percy Barlow killed, 3 ordinary ranks wounded and one ordinary rank missing. The missing soldier was James Patrick Dooley.

Percy now rests at Ypres Resevoir Cemetery, Belgium.

The cemetery was at first called the "Cemetery North of the Prison," later "Ypres Reservoir North Cemetery”, and now Ypres Reservoir Cemetery.  It was begun in October 1915 and used by fighting units and field ambulances until after the Armistice, when it contained 1,099 graves. The cemetery was later enlarged when graves were brought in from the battlefields of the salient and smaller burial grounds.  There are now 2,613 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 1,034 of whom are unidentified. Six of the identified burials are Liverpool Pals.

His death was reported in the press in Chester:

SEC. LIEUT. PERCY BARLOW

News has reached Chester of the death of Sec. Lieut. Percy Barlow who was killed in action on the 15th inst. Lieut. Barlow was the only son of Mr Frank Barlow who resided in Chester for many years. He was a nephew of Alderman George Barlow. While in the act of binding the wounds of his sergeant he was struck by a piece of shell and died instantly. Lieutenant Barlow was only 23 years of age. He gave up a very good position in Manchester in November 1914 to join the Manchester Pals. In May of the present year he received his commission in the King's Liverpool Regiment.

Percy is also commemorated on the war memorial at St John the Evangelist Church, St. John's Street, Higher Broughton, Salford and the War Memorial located at Chester Town Hall.

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