Name
Percival Sydney Grimes
18 November 1892
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
28/01/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Corporal
2188482
Canadian Forestry Corps
76th Coy.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
VITRY-LE-FRANCOIS FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY
1538
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Watford Grammar School Memorial, Watford, Watford Grammar School Book of Remembrance, Not on the Hammerfield memorials
Pre War
Percival Sydney was born on 18 Nov 1892 in New Cross, London to Sydney Thomas Grimes, a clerk with London County Council, and Barbara (nee Broom). His Parents had been living in St Pauls, Deptford on the 1891 Census.
His parents married 1890 in the Camberwell, London, district. Barbara died 1931 in the Hemel Hempstead, Herts, district aged 67; Sydney died 16 February 1934 in Edgware, Middx, aged 67, and was buried 22 February in Harrow Cemetery, Middx.
On the 1901 Census, aged 8 he lived at 55 Matlock Lane, Ealing, Middx, with his parents and four younger siblings: Douglas Frederick (7), Dora Elizabeth (5), Archibald Andrew (4) and Constance Anna (1).
Brothers Percival, Douglas and Archibald all attended Watford Grammar enrolling in 1905/1906.
On the 1911 Census, he was living with his family, now with the addition of younger brothers Eric Christopher (7) and Stanley Joseph (5) at Alexandra House, Bushey Hall Road, Bushey, Herts and working as a assistant in a gentlemen's outfitters. His father was a surveyor in the Estates and Valuation Dept of the London County Council.
He emigrated to Canada on 26 May 1911, leaving Liverpool on the Lake Champlain bound for Quebec. He settled in Debden, Saskatchewan and on enlistment gave his trade as a teamster. His parents later lived at 43, Glenview Road, Hammerfield (His father returned to UK in 1919).
Wartime Service
He enlisted into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on 29 March 1917 at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, giving his Father, Sydney Thomas Grimes, as his Next of Kin who was resident in Saskatoon and contactable via General Delivery.
He embarked on ‘Missanabir’ from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 1 Aug 1917 arriving in Liverpool on 23 Aug 1917 as part of No 12 Forestry Draft. The Canadian Forestry Corps had been activated on 11 Nov 1916 to provide cut timber for the Military and had a Base depot at Sunningdale, Surrey where Percy, as he was known, arrived on 23 Aug 1917. He was posted to 76 Company on 21 Sep 17 and landed in France (Le Havre) on 23 Sep 1917 having appointed that day as Acting Corporal (Paid).
He died as the result of an accident. On 28 Jan 1918 he was sitting on his pack near the open door of the train travelling from Appilly to Eclaron with other Forestry Corps soldiers when a lurch of the train caused him to fall through the door onto the tracks. He was taken to Hospital No. 38 in Vitry-le Francois with fractures to skull and right leg. Whilst he was operated on for the skull fracture that evening and he died at 8.30 that evening.
A Court of Enquiry convened to investigate the circumstances of the death of Private GRIMES, and found that he died on the evening of January 28th 1918 from fractured skull and serious head wounds, is of the opinion that the fatal injuries were caused by being accidentally thrown from the open door of a box car by the momentum of the train when rounding a curve, whilst en route from Appilly to Eclaron at about 3.30 o’clock in the afternoon and that no blame can be attached to anyone concerned.
He was buried on 30 Jan 1918 and was entitled to the Victory and British War medals.
Additional Information
The published Watford Grammar School Book of Remembrance entry reads:
“GRIMES, PERCIVAL SYDNEY. School period: March, 1906, to July, 1907. Corporal, Canadian Forestry Battalion. Killed in a train accident in France, 29th January, 1918.”
Brother Douglas Frederick served with Army Ordnance Corps as 0893 2nd Corporal in France for over 3 years and survived.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
