Cpl Ernest Perry

Ernest Perry was born in Rickling in Essex, the son of a baker, and spent his childhood there. By age 15 he was working as a carrier. When he was 17 he joined the 3rd Battalion Essex Regiment on the 9th July 1891. He left the militia and joined the regular army almost a year later on 13th June 1892 - becoming a member of 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment.

In 1899 he married a woman from Brentwood called Emma Louisa Taylor, with whom he would have four children. His first active service was in the Boer War where he gained the rank of Corporal. He returned to the reserves on 27th April 1903, and was discharged from the army on 12th June 1904 after completing his first term of service. He took a short break from the army and rejoined the reserves from 22nd September 1904 until about 1910.

He had moved to Brentwood byt 1906 and was living in Cockayne House, an impressive Georgian house at 116 High Street. It had been converted into The Brentwood Institute by J. W. Cook in 1905-6 and Ernest became the new steward.

At the outbreak of the first world war he was recalled to the army and rejoined on 10th September 1914, he was already 38 years old. On rejoining he was promoted to sergeant and spent the first two years of the war training recruits. He was sent to France on 22nd December 1916 as part of 1st Battalion Norfolk Regiment. He was with the Norfolks at the Battle of the Lys, when German troops tried to push through the British lines and cut off the British supply line. On 23rd April 1918, on one of the last few days of the Battle of the Lys, he was killed.