First Name: Percy Herbert
Surname:Woodward
DOB: Circa 1888
Age: 28
Birth Town: Stinchcombe, Glos.
Resided Town: Dursley, Glos.
Nationality: British
Date of Death: 09/09/1916
Fate: Killed in Action
Information: Parents: Walter and Louisa Jane Woodward, of I, The Buildings, Stinchcombe, Dursley, Glos.
Rank: Private
Service Number: 12401
Duty Location: France And Flanders
Percy Herbert was born to Walter and Louisa Woodward of Stinchcombe in 1888, the sixth of their ten children. His father’s occupation was given in the 1901 census as a ‘stonemason’. Percy was single and still living at home in 1911. His occupation was given as ‘cloth carrier’ in a cloth mill.
Percy enlisted at Dursley during the first week of September 1914 and joined the 1st Btn Gloucestershire Regiment.
Despite extensive searches it has not yet been possible to locate any relatives of Percy, even though he had nine siblings. Contact was made with a distant relative in Cornwall but he was only able to provide details of the family tree with details of Percy's parents and siblings. The youngest of Percy's siblings was Hector Robert Woodward who was a resident of Stinchcombe, onetime Churchwarden at St Cyr's and who died in 1993.
1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment
04.08.1914 Stationed at Bordon, Hampshire as part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division.
13.08.1914 Mobilised for war and landed at Le Havre where the Division engaged in various actions on the Western Front including;
During 1914
The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne, First Battle of Ypres.
During 1915
Winter Operations 1914-15, The Battle of Aubers, The Battle of Loos.
During 1916
The Battle of Albert, The Battle of Bazentin, The Battle of Pozieres, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval.
September 1916 Albert, France (the Somme)
The diary of the 1st Btn gives a great amount of detail about their activities, especially around the time of Percy’s death. The Battalion were at Bazentin-le-Grand a few kilometres north west of Albert. The following is taken from the diary for 8th and 9th September, 1916.
8th September
At noon left Bazentin-le-Grand for trenches in High Wood.
-heavily shelled while passing down Black Water Trench
(own 4.2 howitzers) - many casualties*
NB. Artillery bombardment of German positions was falling short.
- problems with shelling throughout the afternoon.
3.35pm: shelling problem improved, moved forward to get into position
4.50pm: intense bombardment by Trench Mortars
-grew in intensity until 6.00pm
6.00pm: Flammenwerfers - flame blown over our men
- attack launched - gain objective but many casualties*
Come back to German 1st line because of casualties and lack of reinforcements.
7.40pm: Officer demanded reinforcements
- message none to be obtained
- trench can not be held without reinforcements
7.45pm: order to withdraw to ‘NewTrench’
9.50pm: re-occupied former line.
10.30pm: heavy enemy barrage
11.00pm - 12.00 midnight: slight shelling
9th September
3.00am: enemy attack position - driven off
- 2 officers and 16 other ranks captured
(near High Wood - Quadrangle Trench)
5.00am: Battalion relieved
- marched back to Quadrangle Trench
* According to official records Percy died, aged, 28, on 9th September 1916.
What we do not know is whether he was a victim of the ‘friendly fire’ incident during the afternoon of 8th September or of the evening attack on German positions. If he did die on 9th September then, it is possible that it was as a consequence of wounds sustained in the events of 8th September as no details of casualties are given for 9th September..
Surname:Woodward
DOB: Circa 1888
Age: 28
Birth Town: Stinchcombe, Glos.
Resided Town: Dursley, Glos.
Nationality: British
Date of Death: 09/09/1916
Fate: Killed in Action
Information: Parents: Walter and Louisa Jane Woodward, of I, The Buildings, Stinchcombe, Dursley, Glos.
Rank: Private
Service Number: 12401
Duty Location: France And Flanders
Percy Herbert was born to Walter and Louisa Woodward of Stinchcombe in 1888, the sixth of their ten children. His father’s occupation was given in the 1901 census as a ‘stonemason’. Percy was single and still living at home in 1911. His occupation was given as ‘cloth carrier’ in a cloth mill.
Percy enlisted at Dursley during the first week of September 1914 and joined the 1st Btn Gloucestershire Regiment.
Despite extensive searches it has not yet been possible to locate any relatives of Percy, even though he had nine siblings. Contact was made with a distant relative in Cornwall but he was only able to provide details of the family tree with details of Percy's parents and siblings. The youngest of Percy's siblings was Hector Robert Woodward who was a resident of Stinchcombe, onetime Churchwarden at St Cyr's and who died in 1993.
1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment
04.08.1914 Stationed at Bordon, Hampshire as part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division.
13.08.1914 Mobilised for war and landed at Le Havre where the Division engaged in various actions on the Western Front including;
During 1914
The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne, First Battle of Ypres.
During 1915
Winter Operations 1914-15, The Battle of Aubers, The Battle of Loos.
During 1916
The Battle of Albert, The Battle of Bazentin, The Battle of Pozieres, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval.
September 1916 Albert, France (the Somme)
The diary of the 1st Btn gives a great amount of detail about their activities, especially around the time of Percy’s death. The Battalion were at Bazentin-le-Grand a few kilometres north west of Albert. The following is taken from the diary for 8th and 9th September, 1916.
8th September
At noon left Bazentin-le-Grand for trenches in High Wood.
-heavily shelled while passing down Black Water Trench
(own 4.2 howitzers) - many casualties*
NB. Artillery bombardment of German positions was falling short.
- problems with shelling throughout the afternoon.
3.35pm: shelling problem improved, moved forward to get into position
4.50pm: intense bombardment by Trench Mortars
-grew in intensity until 6.00pm
6.00pm: Flammenwerfers - flame blown over our men
- attack launched - gain objective but many casualties*
Come back to German 1st line because of casualties and lack of reinforcements.
7.40pm: Officer demanded reinforcements
- message none to be obtained
- trench can not be held without reinforcements
7.45pm: order to withdraw to ‘NewTrench’
9.50pm: re-occupied former line.
10.30pm: heavy enemy barrage
11.00pm - 12.00 midnight: slight shelling
9th September
3.00am: enemy attack position - driven off
- 2 officers and 16 other ranks captured
(near High Wood - Quadrangle Trench)
5.00am: Battalion relieved
- marched back to Quadrangle Trench
* According to official records Percy died, aged, 28, on 9th September 1916.
What we do not know is whether he was a victim of the ‘friendly fire’ incident during the afternoon of 8th September or of the evening attack on German positions. If he did die on 9th September then, it is possible that it was as a consequence of wounds sustained in the events of 8th September as no details of casualties are given for 9th September..