Percival Gordon Kemp was born on 11 July 1897, the son of George Alfred and Isabella Kemp. He was baptised in the parish of Woolwich St John on 12 August 1897.
His father, George, was born in about 1871 in Burwash in Sussex. His mother, Isabella, was four years older and was born in Greenwich. The 1911 census reveals that they had had seven children, two of whom died. Only four children were recorded on the 1911 census: Percival, Minnie Isabella born in January 1899, Dorothy Hannah born in about 1903 and Herbert Phillip born in about 1906.
George was a labourer at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. In 1911 the family were living at 16 High Street, Welling. At the time of the 1901 census, the family were living at 10 Talfourd Road, East Wickham (renamed as Springfield Road, Welling) although on the date the census was taken only Isabella (recorded as living on her own means), Percival and Minnie were at the address.
Percival started at Foster’s School on 21 January 1901 and moved to the upper school on 1 April 1904.
Percival went to work for the Home and Colonial Stores in Bexleyheath (see picture below). The Home and Colonial Stores went on to become one of the UK’s largest retail chains in the 1920s. Even in 1903 (when the picture below was taken) it had more than 500 outlets in the UK. The one in Bexleyheath was on the junction of the Broadway and Albion Road.
At the outbreak of war in 1914, aged 17, Percival attempted to enlist but was refused, presumably as he was too young. He tried again a the following year, enlisting in December 1915 and this time was successful, joining the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry with service number 24105. He was posted to the 10th Battalion at Hayle in Cornwall. The 10th was a service battalion of pioneers and on 20 June 1916 landed at Le Havre as pioneers to the 2nd Division. It’s not surprising that Percival was posted to the pioneers given that he was apparently 6 foot 2 inches tall!
The battalion was in action in the Battles of the Somme and the operations on the Ancre. In 1917 it was in action during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the battles of Arras. Between 16 July and 7 November 1917 they were temporarily attached as Pioneers to the recently arrived 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division and took part in operations on the Flanders Coast and The Battle of Poelcapelle before returning to 2nd Division. In 1918 they fought on the Somme, in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and The Battle of the Selle.
On 3rd May 1918, the local Chronicle and District Times reported Percival’s death:
One of Welling’s youngest heroes has made the supreme sacrifice. His parents, who are living at 16, High-street, Welling, have received official notification that their son, Private Percy Kemp, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, had been killed in action in the last week in March. Private Kemp, like a true patriot, tried to join up when only 17, at the outbreak of war, and finally enlisted at the age of 18, in November 1915, went to France in June 1916, and had had only one leave since. He was one of Welling’s tallest young men, being 6ft. 2in., and before joining up was employed at the Home and Colonial Stores, Bexley Heath. He was only 20 at the time of his death.
Happily Percival did in fact survive the war. He was taken prisoner of war on 26th Match 1918 in Peronne in France, near to the Somme. After the war he married in 1923 and died in 1990 in Croydon at the age of 92. By amazing coincidence, it appears as if his brother, Fred, who was in the Royal Navy, was reported in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer on 4th May 1918 (one day after the report about Percy’s death) as having made the ‘supreme sacrifice’. (Fred had lived with his grandparents during some of his early childhood and had attended the school in Dallington). Fred too survived, and died in 1973 at the age of 78.
When the new East Wickham and Welling War Memorial was commissioned in 1998, Percy’s name was added, based on the newspaper report of his death. Forthunately this has turned out to be a mistake.
Commemorated
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Percy (Percival Gordon) Kemp, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.