I could find no trace
of Raymond or Emma on the 1891 census but their son appears living in a
grocer’s and draper’s shop run by his aunt in Handcross. She is listed as Ann Ireland (aged 50) and
living with her (apart from eleven year old Percy who is noted as a scholar)
were her children : Harry H (aged 26, a grocer’s assistant), Florence A (aged
20, a housekeeper), Kate E Ireland (aged 18, a dress maker) and Bertha (aged
13, a scholar). There were also two
live-in grocer’s assistants: William E
Potter (aged 22) and Owen Wheatley (aged 20).
It seems certain that by the time the 1901 census was taken, both Percy’s
parents had died. Raymond Ireland died of pneumonia on 26th May 1899 at Great Bookham and on
the 1901 census, his sister Ethel (born in 1886 and living in Nuneaton ,
Warwickshre) is recorded as an orphan. By
this time, Percy had moved again, this time to Eden Villa in the Parish of
Laughton, East Sussex where he is noted as a
21 year old servant to Charles Hyland, a 45 year old grocer and draper.
Percy married Karen Neale at Fletching ,
Sussex on 11th March 1907
and the couple had two children: Percy James, born on 31st May 1908 and William,
born on 7th
November 1910 . By the time
the First World War started, Percy was working as a grocer and on his short
service attestation form which he completed at Eastbourne
for the Royal Susex Regiment on10th Novermber 1915, he declared that he was 35
years and 222 days old and living at South View, North Common, Chailey. He was five feet seven and a half inches
tall.
He was given the number G/8195 and posted to the 10th
Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment (15th November 1915 ). He remained with this battalion until 3rd June 1916
when he was posted to the 8th Battalion.
Percy sailed for France
exactly two months later on 3rd August 1916 and he hadn’t been there long before he was wounded in
action. On 23rd September 1916 , he received a
gunshot wound to his scalp (the fact that he had been wounded, noted in the
November 1916 issue of Chailey’s parish magazine). It does not appear that this wound
necessitated any treatment in England
as Percy’s surviving service record details indicate that he was in France between 3rd August 1916 and 16th April 1918 .
On 17th April 1918 however, he was admitted to Bradford War
Hospital (although
whether this was as the result of a wound or sickness is unclear). He was granted leave on 22nd June
1918 until 2nd July 1918; his battalion now given as the 7th
Royal Sussex Regiment and his address as Clock House, Fletching.
On 7thOctober 1918 a daughter, Freda Mary Ireland, was born at Uckfield
(which would indicate either that Percy had visited England prior to April 1918 or that
his wife had visited him in France ).
On 18th October that year he was confined to barracks for
three days for having a dirty rifle on parade and one week later, received a
further five days confined to barracks for having a dirty belt on the
Commanding Officer’s Inspection Parade.
On 22ndMay
1919 , Percy was posted to the Royal Sussex Regiment depot and
demobbed on 12th
January 1920 . He was
designated as medical category B2 and indicated on his protection certificate
that he was still living at Clock House, Fletching.
Percy’s brothers and sisters were: Mabel A Ireland (born 1882 at
Slaugham), Newton
Ireland
(born 1884 at Epsom), Ethel Ireland (born 1886), Harry Ernest Ireland (born
1887 at Great Bookham) and Herbert Traiton Ireland (born 1889 at Epsom).
My thanks to Mick Ireland and
Debby Jarrett for providing me with additional information about their
relative, Percy Ireland ,
and his family.
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