Despite extensive research, there is a lot of uncertainty about the early years of Frank Herbert Perfitt. He was born in 1895 according to his enlistment forms, but the 1901 and 1911 Censuses record his birth as being in 1896/7. The only consistency is the fact that he was born in Peckham, whereas all his siblings were born in Welling or Bexleyheath. His father was probably Alfred, a labourer, whose first wife Ellen died in Welling on 24th July 1897 of ‘internal haemorrhage from carcinomic ???’ aged 40. In the space on the death certificate for the signature of the informant, Alfred has marked an ‘x’ and the registrar has added ‘the mark of Alfred Perfitt widower of the deceased present at the death Welling’. Maybe the fact that Alfred was illiterate accounts for the fact that researchers were unable to find registrations of the births of his children. Alfred went on to marry Rose, who was 11 years younger than him a year later, in the third quarter of 1898.
Frank was the fourth of nine children born between C1886 and 1908. Two sisters, Eliza (born 12/8/89) and Rose (6/11/1891) attended Foster’s School, and Eliza was listed as being a domestic servant in the 1911 census. According to the Foster’s register, Eliza was ‘nearly deaf’. Sister Gertrude (born about 1904) was ‘dumb from birth’ according the to 1911 census which also lists Frank’s occupation as ‘coal boy’. The family were living at 12 Crown Street, Bexleyheath at this time.
When Frank enlisted with the Royal West Kent Special Reserve at New Cross on 9th June 1913, he gave his employment as ‘nurseryman’ and this is supported by the ‘employment sheet’ completed by his employer when he enlisted. He described Frank as ‘sober punctual and clean’ and the nature of employment was farming. His enlistment papers give a detailed description of him, and we are told he had a fresh complexion, brown eyes and black hair. In June he was 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall, weighed 114 pounds and had a chest measurement of 33 ½ inches, with an expansion of 4 inches. By 23rd September that year, when he enlisted into the 1st Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment for 12 years (‘short service’) at Maidstone he was 5 feet 7 inches, weighed 129 ½ pounds and his chest measurement had increased to 35 inches. He was noted as having ‘slight knock knees’ at both medicals, but this was deemed a ‘slight defect, not sufficient to cause rejection’. He was inoculated when he enlisted, and was treated at various times for sexually transmitted diseases.
The rules and regulations of army life didn’t seem to suit Frank very well, and he was disciplined at various times during his service.
| Maidstone 22/10/1913 | Irregular conduct in the Barrack room by being in possession of a pack belonging to Pte Clear | 7 days confined to Barracks |
| Dublin 3/12/13 | Having a dirty and untidy cot | 3 days confined to Barracks |
| Dublin 30/1/1914 | Not putting the lid of the dustbin when ordered to do so. | 5 days confined to Barracks |
| Dublin 8/4/1914 | Not cleaning the washhouse when ordered. | 10 days confined to Barracks |
| Dublin 19/5/1914 and 28/5/1914 | Being deficient of articles of kit on Generals inspection. | 3 days confined to Barracks |
| Kilbride Camp 21st July | Absent from 10pm 21/7 until 1030am 22/7 | 3 days confined to Barracks, and forfeit 2 days pay |
When war broke out, Frank was stationed with the 1st Royal West Kent Regiment in Dublin, forming part of 13th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division, one of the four original infantry divisions of the British Expeditionary Force. German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm was famously dismissive of the BEF, and is reported to have issued an order on 19 August 1914 to “exterminate…the treacherous English and walk over General French’s contemptible little army”. Because of this, the survivors of the regular army called themselves “The Old Contemptibles”. No evidence of any such order being issued by the Kaiser has ever been found, and it is likely to be a British propaganda invention, although it is often repeated as fact.
According to his medal certificate, Frank entered the war on 15th August 1914, sailing to France with the rest of his battalion. Embarkation strength was 26 officers and 1015 other ranks, but by November, eleven of the officers and many of the men had been killed. 1st Battalion of The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment was the first of the Regiment’s Battalions to engage in battle, when it clashed with the 12th Brandenburg Grenadiers at Tertre, north of the Mons Canal causing heavy losses upon the Prussians. This first engagement with the enemy was recorded as starting shortly after 0820 on Sunday 23rd August 1914, and Frank died of wounds on 1st September that year, aged 19 according to his enlistment papers, (or possibly only 17 if his age on the Censuses are correct). His medal card records his death as ‘killed in action’ on 29th October 1914, another confusion surrounding this young man.
He is buried in the South West corner of Crepy-en-Valois cemetery in France, one of ten Commonwealth burials of the Great War, three of which are unidentified. He was recorded on the Bexleyheath War Memorial, and added to the one in East Wickham in 1998. Private Frank Herbert Perfitt was awarded the Victory medal, the British medal and Star.
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This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Frank Herbert Perfitt, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.