War Memorial
Percy Henry Parker was born in Leigh in about 1895 and was baptised at St. Mary's, Leigh, on 1 May 1898. His mother was Mrs. Rose Streeter, and by 1901 the family was living at Boar Place, where his step-father earned his living as a general labourer.
When war came, Percy enlisted at Tonbridge, Kent, joining the 1st Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment, before serving overseas as a Private with the 8th Battalion of the same regiment, with the numbers G/4077 and GS/4077 both recorded against his name. His service took him to France and Flanders, where he was gassed during an attack on Hill 60 and invalided home. Once recovered, he returned to the 8th Battalion in France, but there fell ill and was brought back to Sheerness Hospital, where he died on 6 October 1918, aged 26. He earned two campaign medals for his service.
Percy was buried in the churchyard of St. Luke's at Chiddingstone Causeway, where his headstone still stands. At the time of his death his family lived at Mount Joy, an address recorded both in the 1918 Electoral Register for Chiddingstone, which listed Percy as an absent voter, and later by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which noted the family's move in 1927 to 3 Council Cottages, Moorden, Leigh, Tonbridge.
He is commemorated on the Chiddingstone Causeway War Memorial and on the Edenbridge Hospital War Memorial. Article last updated 7 November 2008.