PRIVATE WALTER GEORGE PERRY
Died 26th November 1917
No. 21049 of the Border Regiment, 2nd Battalion.
Born: Woburn Sands, 1890
Resided: Walton Hall
Enlisted: Bedford
Walter was the only son of Andrew and Louisa of Theydon Avenue. He had joined the Special Reserve in November 1909, and signed up for the Bedfordshire Regiment in March 1910, as no. 9580. His record survives at The National Archives. He seems to have shaved two years of his real age, as he told the army he was 18, but may have been 20. He had worked as a general labourer, was single, and Rev. Douglas Henry of St. Michael’s provided a reference which stated he was in the employ of Wavendon House. According to his medical record, he was 5′ 5”, with brown eyes and hair. He was assigned to “C” company of the 2nd Battalion.
Walter had a colourful career in the army, with 12 disciplinary entries on his record. These were for various offences, ranging from fairly trivial ones such as being late on parade or being in a public house in his uniform, to the more serious such as selling his uniform and being asleep on duty! A senior officers assessment of him was “…does his best, but never succeeds in doing a thing really well. Very simple minded.”
In all, Walter had four periods of duty in France. He was wounded in June 1915, with gun shot wounds to the side and arm, and spent 54 days in hospital. At this time he was still with the Bedfords, but in November 1915 he transferred to the 2nd Border Regiment. He was wounded again in early December 1916, and didn’t leave hospital until mid January 1917. The 2nd Borderers left the Western Front for Italy on 23rd November, so perhaps Walter had been left behind as injured, as he died there three days later and is listed on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West Vlaanderen, Belgium. Listed as G. Perry on the Woburn Sands Memorial.
Page last updated May 2022.