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In memoriam

Lance Corporal Percy Reid

 

 

Percy Reid of the Inns, Newtownbreda, Belfast, enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 4 January 1916 (No.2056).  He was 18 years old at the time and worked as a linen trade apprentice. He lived with his next of kin, his aunt Harriet Mercer.

On 26 November 1916 he was sent to France as a reinforcement for the regiment.

On 20 September 1917 he was transferred to the 9th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (No.41548), when the 2nd Regiment was dismounted and absorbed into that infantry battalion.

He received a mild shrapnel wound in March 1918, probably during the German spring offensive, and was wounded again on 10 August that year.

After the Armistice he elected to remain in the service and on 22 February 1919 was posted to the 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (No.41357), part of the Rhine Army. On 24 July 1919 he transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps as a Driver (No.T/453128) and was soon after promoted to acting lance corporal.

Reid returned home on 4 September 1919 and was discharged a month later. He was then suffering from tuberculosis, which was attributed to his army service.

He died on 24 May 1921 and was buried in the Knockbreda Cemetery, Belfast, Northern ireland, grave A.210, middle of the west wall. The inscription on his gravestone reads:

IN
LOVING MEMORY
OF
PERCY REID
WHO WAS WOUNDED IN THE
GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918
DIED 24TH MAY 1921

 

Belfast News-Letter 25 May 1921

 

Lance Corporal Reid was only recently accepted as qualifying for commemoration by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Before his burial place was identified his name was recorded on the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial, Surrey, England (below).

 

 

Image of Reid's burial site kindly provided by Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster.