Remembrance Sunday 2006 I would like to mention my uncle, Percy Squire Willcocks*, b. 13 Feb 1896 in Portsea, Hampshire, who served in the Army in WW I, spending a year and two months in the Somme area of France before being sent home to train as an officer, which training continued until after the end of the war, so he survived, and became a chemist. *WO 374/74608 WILLCOCKS, 2/Lieut P S 1917-1922 He enlisted on 22 Jan 1917 for the duration, and was demobbed on 14 Jan 1919, with 1 yr 2 months overseas service, 10 months Home service (during which he was in Cadet Training) and was given a permanent 2nd Lieut. rank. He was recommended for Cadet training by Brig. Genl. Commanding 99th Infantry Brigade (signed) C. Ironside. The commander of 99th Infantry Brigade from 27 Mar 1918 to Sep 1918 was Brigadier General William Edmund Ironside DSO (1880-1959). He was knighted in 1919 and Sir Edmund went on to become a General, being Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 3 Sep 1939 to 27 May 1940, and then Commander-in-Chief Home Forces for a short time. He was promoted to Field Marshal in 1940 and died on 22 Sep 1959. Where would the 99th Infantry have served between 22 Jan 1917 and 5 Jul 1918 when he was ordered to report to 17 Bn. London Regiment at Rhyl? The 99th Brigade was under command of the 2nd Division, and the Battles of Arras Apr-May 1917, the Battle of Cambrai Nov-Dec 1917, and the First Battles of the Somme Mar 1918 were the main engagements of the 2nd Infantry Division during that time. He was in the 1st Bn. K. R. R. C. on 27 May 1918, in the field (where?) The 2nd Division took part in the Battle of Arras on 28 Mar 1918 (one of the First Battles of the Somme 1918), but things were reasonably quiet for the Battalion in May, with no significant engagements that I can see. Three men of the 1st KRRC were killed in action between 8th and 11th May 1918 and were buried in Berles New Military Cemetery, 15 kilometres south west of Arras, so that probably gives an idea of the Battalion's location at that point. The War Diary in the WO 95 series at Kew would be your best bet for determining the battalion's precise location on 27 May. Who was the Major General in command of that regiment , 2nd Division, (signature looks like "G Leeeeea") on that date? It looks as though you are thinking of Major General C E Pereira, who had been General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division from 27 Dec 1916. My question is - did he qualify for a medal/medals? If he served in the regular Army, and was posted overseas and honorably discharged, would he not have been entitled to any medals? Yes, he should have qualified for some campaign medals, and if you go and have a search for Percy Willcocks at the Medal Index Card database at <http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse-refine.asp?CatID=10&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1> you'll find the following entry which looks as though it's for the right person, especially when your next paragraph is taken into account. Medal card of Willcocks, Percy S Corps Regiment No Rank London Regiment 534442 Acting Corporal Also what rank is A/Cpl. (what he was at the time of application to become a Cadet Officer)? Acting Corporal, which matches the above Medal Index Card very nicely. The replies to my many questions above were from Forrest Anderson, who kindly helped me to understand my he uncle's military history, and yes, I have purchased both his military record and his medal card from the National Archives. I also have numerous references from the London Gazette about him. I met Uncle Percy several times in the postwar years, but he died in Mar Qtr 1973. My father, Edmund William Willcocks, b. 19 Oct 1880 Portsea, Hampshire served in the Essex Volunteer Regiment, Territorial Army, during WW I as he was considered medically unfit for the Regular Army. He made Lt. before his discharge in 1921. He claimed to have served in Leytonstone, shooting Zeppelins with a Lewis gun, but we have not been able to verify this other than that there is a T.A. center near that location. In WW II, he worked at a munitions factory, narrowly escaping injury one night when a bomb landed nearby. He died in Mar Qtr 1961. Another relative, who was not born in Portsmouth, but died at the front in WW I was Lance Cpl. Joseph John Willcocks, Bedfordshire Regiment, son of Edward Herbert Willcocks and grandson of a Portsmouth man, William Robert WILLCOCKS. His memorial is on CWGC. He was b. Jun Qtr 1898 in Tottenham, and died on 26 Sep 1916, aged 18, in the Somme area. Buried at Grove Town Cemetery, Meault, Somme, France, and his grave like others at that cemetery has been kept in near-pristine condition. Lest we forget. Martin Willcocks Taylorsville, UT, USA.