Percy Miner was born at Naseby in 1891. His father’s name was James, and his mother’s was Elizabeth. It was a large family with 6 children initially – William, Reginald, Thomas, Ellis, him and a younger sister May, but by 1901 there were 3 more brothers, Edwin, Cyril and Harold. At this time they were living at Bebbington on Brownlow Road. By 1911 the family had moved again to Ellesmere – their father had been a brick maker and it is probable he had moved to work at the brick yards in Ellesmere, he would later become a coal merchant. In 1911 Percy was living as a boarder at 35 Castle Street and was working as a pawnbroker’s assistant for Messrs. Dales & Brothers in Oswestry.

He enlisted in September 1914 joining 7 Bn KSLI, Oswestry Pals – it is probable that at his enlistment 6 Bn KSLI was up to complement hence he found himself in 7 Bn KSLI. Two months later in November 1914 he married Margaret Williams in Oswestry and they lived at ‘Hafodig’ on the Gobowen Road and then at 31 Orchard Street in Oswestry – Margaret was a school teacher at the National School, Oswestry. Percy went over to France on 28 September 1915 with 7 Bn KSLI. He was KIA on 26 September 1917 during the Battle of Polygon Wood. He, along with a medical officer and another man, were sheltering in a concrete pill box when it received a direct hit killing all three instantaneously. His C/O wrote to his widow expressing sympathy and adding that he was ‘indeed a fine and trustworthy soldier’.

The other men were Captain Joseph Patrick Pegum RAMC att. 7 Bn KSLI (CWGC) and Private 16280 Frank Parry, 7 Bn KSLI (CWGC) who was from Weston Rhyn and is on that village’s war memorial. All three men have no known grave and are commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial. Percy was also a member of Holy Trinity Church congregation and is on that war memorial and at St Oswald’s Church. Five of Percy’s brothers also served but all survived the war.

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

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