No.7431, Sergeant, Percy William ESTLEA
Aged 24
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Percy William Estlea was born in Old Newton (3rd qtr 1890 Stow 4a:748) son of William and Jane ESTLEA (née SCOTT )
1891 census...Aged 8 months, he was at Hundred Lane, Old Newton with his father William ESTLEA [28] grocer's porter; his mother Jane [31]; sisters Margaret J [7], Beatrice M [3] and Esther M [2]; brother Adolphus [6]. All were born in Old Newton. 1901 census...Aged 10, he was at Thedwastre Hill, Thurston with his widowed mother; brother Cecil A (Adolphus ?) stable lad, Harry W [7] born Old Newton and Rowland [5] born Thurston; sisters Beatrice and Esther. His father had died in 1899. 1911 census...Aged 20, he was in Egypt, a private in the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. His mother had married Thomas DORLING in 1901 and was living with him at East Barton Cottages with Percy's sister Esther and brother Rowland On the pension card his mother was at East Barton. His brother in law Charles ROWELL ( married to Esther) died in Colchester Military Hospital in 1920 see here |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds
The 1st Suffolks war diary for that time has not been found, but Lt.Col. Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment" tells us that they were in Brigade Reserve between Frenzenberg and Verorenhoek, no shelters, bivouacking under hedges. The CO and Adjutant reached Frezenberg at dawn and soon received orders for Lt.Col. Wallace to command a mixed brigade of 1st Suffolk, 12th London and 1st Monmouth Rangers and take up a defensive position facing north east on the Frezenberg Ridge. The battalion then came under command of Captain Balders who set the men to digging in astride the Ypres-Zonnebeke Road. No sooner had they started when a staff officer told Capt Balders to take the 1st Suffolk and 12th Londons northward and attack any enemy they met. He added that the Germans had broken through and only these 2 battalions stood between the enemy and Ypres, a very critical situation. Capt Balders, despite not wishing to act without his Brigade Commander's orders, realised there was no time to lose, so he unhitched a horse from a gun limber and rode off to Brigade HQ. Once there he was given orders to try and establish himself in the hamlet of Fortuin. Under shell fire they moved forward and in passing Fortuin came across a Canadian HQ and was asked to use his two battalions up to help the Canadians. This he was loathe to do without orders, but when the 2 Canadian officers were hit, he decided to send the Canadians some help. The enemy fire increased and he was informed that the Germans now held St Julien. The men, out in the open, were set to dig in and overnight managed to dig a fire trench 4.5 feet deep with traverses, a remarkable feat. The situation by the 26th was so desperate that documents were being burnt, but the delaying efforts this group had given Allied reinforcements time to arrive and ease the situation. Exact figures of killed each day must of course be inaccurate in the circumstances, but CWGC records 50 killed of the 1st Suffolk on 24th, of which only 6 have known graves. "
also commemorated on parents grave in Thurston click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
