John Perron

John was born in 1881 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, he was the son of John Anthony a journeyman tailor and Mary Ann Perron. John attended the Wesleyan School In the 1901 census the family are living at 27 Station Road,Ordsall he is 20 years of age,single and a printers apprentice. By the 1911 census he has married his wife Edith who was born in Retford in 1883 and has a daughter Phyllis Edith who is 5 months old, he is 30 years of age and is a printer/compositor and they have been married for six years , they are living at 20 Hatfield Street,Retford. . At the time of his death they lived at Andrew Avenue in Ilkeston and it was there that his wife first heard the news of his death. He was from a well known Retford family and his sister Mrs Robinson lived on Savile Street. . The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have Mrs Perron living at 16 Beardsall Row. It is likely she moved to Retford after her husband’s death

He enlisted at Ilkeston and served with the 15th battalion Sherwood Foresters. The worst summer weather in Flanders for decades turned much of the Ypres area to deep mud by October 1917. On the day John was killed the Foresters also had 1 officer killed, another wounded, 15 other ranks killed, 160 wounded and 20 missing. The War Diary had very heavy artillery fire on ground immediately behind front line with gas shells also employed at various times. He is buried in Artillery Wood Cemetery, nr Boezinge, Belgium he was 36 years of age.

Information on John Perron has been provided courtesy of Alan Laurie