George Perry Rifleman S/1 1949 - 1st Bn. Rifle Brigade Killed in action on Sunday 1st December 1917 age 28 Buried in Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux, France George Henry Perry was born in Gnosall in 1889 to Alfred Perry, a 30-year-old groom born in Winstanton, and Sarah Ann nee Barker, born in Broseley, aged 27. He was baptised in Gnosall on 27 th  October 1889. The   1891   census   shows   the   family   living   on   Gnosall   High   Street,   with   Alfred   working   as   a gardener;   George’s   older   brother   William,   aged   15,   was   working   as   a   grocer’s   errand   boy and there were two older sisters, Agnes and Edith. By 1901 family had moved to Ford, Shropshire where Alfred was working as a head gardener; there were now eight children at home, from one to 13. In 1911 George was working as gardener, and living at Oulton Park Gardens, Little Budworth, Cheshire. In 1914 he was working as a gardener at Belmont Hall, Northwich, Cheshire where he enlisted on 3 rd  September 1914 into the Rifle Brigade as S/119499. He was sent into action in France on 13 th  July 1915. He was killed in action on 1 st  December 1917, and was buried at Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux, France, grave II. A. 25. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, Victory and British and medals. His death record says “Formerly 3328, 9th Lancers" but he was certainly in the Rifle Brigade as S/119499 at the beginning and end of the war so this may be a mistake.
Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux Historical Information Monchy village, a relatively high and commanding position, was captured by Commonwealth forces on 11 April 1917. The cemetery was begun at once and continued in use as a front-line cemetery until the German offensive of March 1918, when it fell into their hands. It was recaptured by the Canadian Corps on 26 August and used again for a month. The graves are very closely identified with the divisions which fought on this front. There are now 581 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 58 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to a number of casualties known to be buried among them.