Alfred Piercy was born in Liverpool on the 03rd April 1895, the son of Alfred Piercy and his wife Florence (née Lees). Alfred, from Liverpool, and Florence, from Walsall, Staffordshire, married in Liverpool on the 28th September 1893 at St John the Baptist Church, Toxteth Park. Alfred snr was a 25 year old baker of 27a Bembridge Street, father Cornelius a deceased baker, whilst Florence was aged 23, same address, father Henry an engine turner. They had nine children:  Margaret Ann born in 1894, and after Alfred they had Emma in 1896 (died at 11 months), Thomas in 1898, Florence 1900, Annie 1901, Alice 1903, Ada 1905, and John 1907.  Alfred was baptised in St. Cleopas' Church, Toxteth, on 17th April 1895, his parents living at 6 Vere Street, and his father’s occupation listed as baker. 

In 1901 the family is living in 3 House 4 Court in Laxey Street, Toxteth Park, with four children. His father, 31, is a railway labourer, his mother is 29, Margaret is 6, and Florence is 1.  The ages of Thomas and Alfred have been reversed, Alfred  is 5 and Thomas 2. Thomas died not long after the census was taken at age 3.  Annie was born later in the year, then two more daughters, Alice and Ada.  The family suffered another loss when Florence died in 1906, age 6. Another son, John, was born in 1907, who sadly died at age 1, which meant that Alfred was the only surviving son.   

In 1911 they are at 1 School Place, Threlfall Street, Toxteth, with five surviving children. His father, 42, is a shipbuilding labourer, his mother is 38(married 18 years 9 children, 5 still alive), Maggie, 17, is a domestic servant, Alfred, 16, is a shop boy, Annie is 10, Alice 8, and Ada is 6. 

As his service record has not survived, the details of Alfred’s service are not known.  He enlisted in the 20th (Pals) Bn, King’s (Liverpool) Regiment as Private 29657.  The 20th Bn was raised in November 1914 and quartered in Tournament Hall in Knotty Ash and in January 1915 moved to Knowsley and the four Pals battalions began training as a brigade. On 30th April 1915 the Pals leave Liverpool for Belton Park Camp in Lincolnshire, and in September for final infantry training at Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain before shipping to the front.

 

The battalion left Folkestone and he disembarked at Boulogne on the 07th November 1915. 

 

In the summer of 1916 the 20th battalion was in the front lines on the Somme, and went over the top in those deadly days of July; they took part in the successful attack at Montauban and at Trones Wood as well as the costly attack on Guillemont at the end of the month.  

In October, as part of the 89th Brigade, the battalion takes up position for the coming assault on the Transloy Ridges. Alfred was one of the 213 Other Ranks from the Pals battalions killed in this battle. 

According to the 20^th Bn War Diary, on 10th October 1916 the battalion marched from Dernancourt via Mametz to Bazentin Le Grand where it bivouacked for the night. The next day the battalion moved up to site for assembly trenches, arriving about 11 p.m., where it dug in two good trenches, Nos.1 and 2 Coys front and Nos.3 and 4 Coys in rear.

From the War Diary:

Near Eaucourt L’Abbaye.  12/10/1916. The 4^th British and 6^th French armies continued the attack. Zero 2.5 p.m.  The whole XVth Corps attacked […]  The attack of 89^th Inf Bde was carried out with 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right, 17^th Bn KLR on left, 20^th Bn KLR in support, 19^th Bn KLR in reserve.  Battalions attacked in four waves. On the departure of the attacking battalions Nos. 1 and 2 companies advanced, each in two waves, to garrison the front line trench vacated by 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right and 17^th KLR on left. On Nos 1 and 2 Coys vacating front assembly trench, it was occupied by two platoons of Nos. 3 and 4 Coys respectively, from rear assembly trench. As the assaulting waves left their trenches they were met by intense machine gun fire, especially on our left. The enemy also opened heavy barrages on our front support and assembly trenches. […] Capt. H. Beckett, commanding No.1 company, reached the front line with few casualties, but Lieut R.D. Paterson leading No.2 company was killed. His company also had few casualties. The assaulting battalions were held up by very heavy machine gun fire, and made little progress.  […] At 4.20 p.m. two platoons, No.4 Coy, under Cpl Brighouse, were sent up to reinforce the left, and No.3 Coy under Cpl Sutton followed at 4.45 p.m.  Battalion HQ moved up to front line at 4.55 and remaining two platoons of No.4 Coy moved up to join Cpl Brighouse. 

Casualties during action: 

Officers – Killed Lieut. R.D. Paterson, 2^nd Lieut G.L. Grennan, Wounded – 2^nd Lieuts A.E. Griffin, L.E. Mclean Hayes, C. Buttemer, Wounded Cpl g. Brighouse.

Other Ranks killed – 20. 

It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day Herbert was killed.

It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.

As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them and at the same time the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire. Those German regiments were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire. As such it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.

Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”

Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench. 

Alfred was declared Missing on 12th October 1916, and his death presumed on or since for official Army purposes.  

His body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. He was 21 years of age.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.” 

He was still listed as Missing in the Liverpool Echo on the 28^th November 1916: 

MISSING MEN - NEWS WANTED.  

Private Alfred Percy(sic), K.L.R. His parents reside at 27, Greta-street, High Park-street, Liverpool. 

In 1939 his parents are living at 25 Ashdale Road with daughters Annie, permanently incapacitated, and Ada, a cafe waitress. His father died on 16th November 1940, aged 73.

 

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on Tuesday 19 November 1940: 

His mother in 1956, aged 85. 

We currently have no further information on Alfred Piercy, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.