George Hugh Perry – Royal Field Artillery, 9th Battery
Second Lieutenant George Hugh Perry – Royal Field Artillery, 9th Battery
George Hugh Perry was born in 1889 in Briton
Ferry, the son of George Valentine Perry and Mary Jennet Perrett,
who were married in 1883 in Neath.
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| 1891 Census |
At the time of the 1891 Census, the Perry family were residing in Briton Ferry, and all members completed the return using initials. Geo. V., aged 32 and born in Hammersmith, was employed as an Ironmonger, while his Canadian‑born wife M. J., aged 29, was at home. Their children were O. M., aged 6 and attending school; G. H., aged 2; and J. A., aged 1. Also living with them was a servant, Charlotte Perrett, aged 16.
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| 1901 Census |
By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 9 Victoria Gardens, Neath, again using initials to complete the return. Geo. V., now 42, continued his work as an Ironmonger, while M. J., aged 39, oversaw the home. Their children included Chas. W., aged 16, employed as a Clerk for the Iron Merchants; Geo. H., aged 12; Jas. A., aged 10; and Milly, aged 5. A servant, Elizabeth Tucker, aged 16, was also present.
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| 1911 Census |
By 1911, the Perry family had settled in 112 Bryn Road, Swansea. The census that year was completed in full names. George Valentine, aged 52, was recorded as an Iron Merchant, and his wife Mary Jennett, aged 49, remained at home. Their children were Charles M., 26, and George H., 22, both assisting in the family business; James A., 20, working as an Architect’s Articled Clerk; and Jennett L. A., 15, who was attending school. The household also included a servant, Elizabeth Ann Harring, aged 22.
Military Service
George Hugh Perry served in the First World War as a Second
Lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery, 9th Battery.
While specific battery‑level war diaries for this unit do not survive for 31st
March 1918, historically verified records from the Royal Field Artillery show
the broader operational context in which his battery was serving.
Artillery units across the Royal Field Artillery were
heavily engaged during March 1918, operating under the immense pressure
of the German Spring Offensive (“Operation Michael”). Throughout this
period, British artillery batteries provided urgent fire support during rapid
defensive withdrawals, laid down rearguard barrages to protect infantry, and
were frequently exposed to intense shelling, gas attacks, and counter‑battery
fire. Many batteries were forced to relocate repeatedly as the German advance
threatened to overrun their positions.
Although the movement of the specific 9th Battery
is not documented, this date—31st March 1918—fell during some
of the most chaotic and violent days of the Spring Offensive, when British guns
were fighting continuously to slow the German breakthrough. The period was
marked by confusion, rapid changes of position, heavy casualties among gun
crews, and the loss of many forward battery positions under pressure from
advancing German forces.
Death and Burial
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| George Hugh Perry Varennes Military Cemetery, Somme, France credit - findagrave |
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