Percy Bell, Gunner, service no. 37328. 115th Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery, d. 10 March 1915 aged 22.
Percy is commemorated at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres (leper), West- Vlaanderen, Belgium.
He was the son of Alfred and Emily Bell of 89 Wales Street Winchester.
Alfred was a carpenter and joiner who lived at various addresses local to St John the Baptist church. Alfred Bell in the 1871 census lived in Middle Brook St. IN 1881 Alfred was living at 20 Middle Brooks Bricklayers Arms with his brother Frederick and his wife Matilda brother is a bricklayer and he a carpenter. The 1891 census records him was living at 41 East Gate st with his wife Emily. At the time of the 1901 census, the Alfred and Emily Bell were living at 1 Water Lane with their 7 sons and one daughter. Percy is listed as 7 years old.
Percy is listed as a Fishmonger in the 1911 census, aged 18. He enlisted for the army in Southampton and was sent to France on 2nd October 1914 and landed two days later at Le Havre. He served in the 115th Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery on the Western Front. He was killed in action at Neuve Eglise on 10 March 1915 aged 22. It is possible that he died during the battle of Neuve Chapelle on 10th-13th March 1915. Neuve Eglise is 22km to the north of Neuve Chapelle and 15km from Ypres along the 1915 front line. This area received the full impact of the war.
Heavy Batteries Royal Garrison Artillery was equipped with heavy guns for firing large calibre high explosive shells in fairly flat trajectory fire. The usual armaments were 60 pounder (5 inch) guns. As British artillery tactics developed, the Heavy Batteries were most often employed in destroying or neutralising the enemy artillery, as well as putting destructive fire down on strongpoints, dumps, stores, roads, and railways behind enemy lines.
Percy is commemorated on a Memorial plaque at St John the Baptist church Winchester but also on the grave of his parents in St Giles Hill Graveyard.
The inscription reads:
“In ever loving memory of Emily BELL who died February 17th, 1916 aged 52 also Alfred BELL husband of the above died Sept 6th, 1928 aged 67, also George eldest son of the above killed at Mons Aug 26 1914 aged 33, also Percy 5th son of the above killed et Neuve Eglise March 19, 1915, aged 22.”
George Bell is not mentioned in the book Debt of Honour, Winchester Cities 1st World War dead by Jen Best, and his family is not mentioned on the CWGC website from which the certificate below was downloaded.
An older brother of Percy Frederick served in France and Salonica as a Corporal in the Royal Berkshire Regiment and survived the War. One of his younger brothers, William, was in the Royal Marines, served in the North Sea on HMS Galatea and HMS Furious and survived the War.
