Pte 235258 Percy Taylor

• Age: 34
• From: Winton, Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Percy Taylor was born on 04th July 1883 in Winton Manchester and resided in Monton, Manchester and was the youngest son of John Edward Taylor and his wife Mary (nee Billinge). He was baptised in St. Mark’s, Worsley, on 8th September 1883, his parents’ residence given as Winton, and his father’s occupation as joiner. His parents, both born in Worsley, married in 1867 1867 also at St. Mark’s, and had three children.  Percy had older brothers George Thomas born in 1868, and John Alfred, in 1881.  

In 1891 his parents with three children are living with his widowed grandmother, Jane Taylor and her daughter Sarah Alice at 1 Kite Pool, Winton.  His grandmother, 75, is living on private means, his aunt Sarah, 37, is an elementary school teacher.  His father is a joiner, and George is 23, a bookkeeper.  John, 9, and Percy, 7, are at school.

They are still at 1 Kite Pool in 1901. His father is a joiner, John, 19, and Percy, 17, are both warehousemen. His aunt Mary Jane Taylor, 51, a retired school mistress, lives with them.

They are still in Kitepool in 1911, in eight rooms.  Both his parents are 66, his father is an estate joiner (possibly at nearby Worsley New Hall, seat of the Duke of Bridgewater).  John, 29, and Percy, 27, both work for a drapery warehouse, John as a salesman, and Percy as a traveller (millinery).  Also in the household are his aunt, Mary Jane Taylor, 61, a teacher receiving disablement allowance, a visitor Constance Oldham, who is a pupil teacher, and a domestic servant.

He married Ethel Mary Norris, when they were both 28, on 29th May 1912 in St. Mark’s, Worsley, giving his occupation as traveller, and his address as Kite Pool, Winton.

His mother died in December 1914, aged 70.

A daughter Ethel Mary was born on 3rd June 1913. At her baptism in St. Mark’s in July her parents were living at 166 Parrin Lane and Percy’s occupation was commercial traveller.

Another daughter Joan was born on 9th July 1916.  Sadly, daughter Ethel died in November 1916, aged 3.  Perhaps Percy had not yet shipped to the front and was able to attend her funeral.

He enlisted in about July 1916 in Manchester and was originally  Private 202666, Yorkshire Regiment and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 235258 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 34, during the Third Battle of Ypres.

18^th Battalion

He was killed in action on 31st July 1917 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18^th Battalion was part of 21^st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21^st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18^th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2^nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21^st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90^th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2^nd Lieutenant Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken.  Not far away from this action,  an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18^th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men wounded. They were relieved on the 02^nd August. 

Percy has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

Weekly Casualty List 24th December 1917

Previously reported missing, now reported Killed

King's (Liverpool Regiment) - Taylor 235258 P. (Morton);

His father died a few weeks after Percy, in early September 1917, aged 73, still living in Kitepool. His parents and daughter Ethel are buried together in St. Mark’s, Worsley.

His widow Ethel at 166 Parrin Lane received Percy’s Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £3. She was awarded an Alternative Pension of £1-16s-8d a week from May 1918.

In 1939 his widow Ethel, 55, and daughter Joan, 23, are still living at 166 Parrin Lane. Joan is a comptometer operator for a bakery.  She never married.

Ethel died in 1967 aged 83 and Joan in 1981 aged 64.

Percy is commemorated on the following memorials -

St. Mary’s Church, Winton

St. Mark’s Church, Worsley

We currently have no further information on Percy Taylor, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.