Percy Charles Victor Burrough (abt. 1890 - 1917)

Born about 1890 in Brighton, Sussex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 9 Apr 1917 at about age 27 in Fampoux, France

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This profile is for the South Africans that give their lives in World War I 28 July 1914-11 November 1918.

Union Defence Force 1912-1957, World War I South African Army, Infantry, 4th Regiment.

Percy Charles Victor Burrough was Killed in Action during World War I, died in 1917.

Biography

Birth

Name:Percy Charles Victor / Peter Charles Victor ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Event date: about 1890

Event Place:

Father's Name: Charles Burrough Son of George and Elizabeth Deborah Burrough, of 30, Grenville Place, Brighton, England. Born Brighton, Sussex, England. ^{[1] [2]}

Mother's Name: Elizabeth Grimsley

Baptism

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Marriage

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Bride:

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Military Info

Force number: 9023 ^{[1] [2]}

Rank: Corporal ^{[1] [2]}

Surname: Burrough ^{[1] [2]}

Names: P. C. V. ^{[1] [2]}

Regiment: South African Infantry ^{[1] [2]}

Unit: 4th Regiment ^{[1] [2]}

Cemetery: France, Pas de Calais, Bailleul road east cemetery, St. Laurent-Blangy, I. A. 18. ^[1]

Death

Event Date: 9 April 1917 ^{[1] [2]}

Age: 27 years

Event Place: France, Pas de Calais, Bailleul road east cemetery, St. Laurent-Blangy, I. A. 18. ^[2]

Cause of death: Killed in action, by a shell at Fampoux outside Arras. ^{[1] [2]}

Grave

Event Place:

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} South African War Graves Project Grave of P. V. C. Burrough Seen and entered Jan 2024 by Frederik Willem Johannes Britz
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10} Commonwealth War Graves Commission Grave of P. C. V. Burrough Seen and entered Jan 2024 by Frederik Willem Johannes Britz
3. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XYR-SW4 : 1 October 2014), Percy Charles V Burrough, 1890; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006,"

In the Census of 1891 Percy C V Burrough was recorded as being 1 year old and living with his family in Grenville Place, Brighton, Sussex, England. Also in the household was his older half-sister Gertrude, one servant and two female boarders.

His father passed away in 1909.

By 1911 he was 21 and single, still recorded in the household of his mother and siblings in Brighton, Sussex.

Occupation: CERTIFICATED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER ASSISTANT

Percy emigrated from England to South Africa sometime after 1911 and settled in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal where he was a teacher at Ladysmith Boys' High School. He soon met a young girl called Olive Thorrold who was in her final year at Ladysmith Girls' High School. They lived only two miles from each other. They fell in love; Olive used to sneak out in the middle of the night and meet up with Percy - heaven help her if her father had found out!

When war broke out in 1914, Percy (being the loyal defender of Britain that he was) immediately volunteered and joined the 4th South African Infantry. and it wasn't too long before he was notified to report to Potchefstroom which is in the Transvaal. The infantry brigade was raised and trained in Potchefstroom in August 1915 to serve overseas. A lot of the boys had already been involved in the South West Africa campaign, now Namibia, but then a colony of Germany.

Olive went to her father and begged him to let them get married. He refused saying she was too young. Anyway, in the end he relented and let them get engaged. It wasn't long before the troops were shipped out to England, and that was the last Olive saw of her beloved Percy.

"The brigade consisted of four regiments. The first regiment, mainly boys from the Cape. The second regiment from Natal and Oranje Vrijstaat. The third regiment from Transvaal and the fourth regiment consisted of boys of all regions with Scottish roots, but mainly from Transvaal. They were suitably named ‘the Transvaal Scottish’ or 'the kilted Springboks.’

In September 1915 160 officers and 5648 ranks left the Cape by transport ships and after their arrival in England they were moved to Bordon Camp, South Hampshire for training. From December till February 1916 they operated in Egypt to protect the vital supply and communication route provided by the Suez Canal.

After the Egypt campaign the Brigade arrived at the harbour of Marseilles in the south of France and was transported to Armentières in the north, where they prepared for the big Somme offensive. They were from then on attached to the 9th Scottish Division.

Between the 14th and the 19th of July, the Brigade entered Delville Wood and were ordered to hold it at all costs. Under constant artillery and machine gun fire and surrounded on three sides the South Africans fought without relief for 5 days. Only 768 men of the 3153 who entered the wood answered the roll call. Today the wood is the location for the South African National Monument near Longueval.

In April 1917 the brigade was involved in a poorly prepared action near Arras and after the fiasco of Fampoux, as the village that had to be captured was called, the men called themselves cynically ‘the Suicide Springboks’. At the end of the battle of the Somme, companies of South African infantry men were used in mass burial parties. That kind of task didn’t really boost morale. Fortunately, there was their commander, Henry Timson Lukin, Boer War veteran, veteran of the South West Africa campaign and Delville Wood survivor. We know that Lukin refused to wear a gas mask when inspecting the ranks in the front line. He even stepped aside to let troops pass along the duckboards."

The following note was received from the Red Cross:

The following report was received from Major Alfred of the 4th S.A. Infantry now in the 1st London General Hospital:

Percy C V Burrough was killed by a shell at Fampoux outside Arras. I saw him brought up dead and buried in a shell hole. We had to retire as we were not strong enough. We had taken our objectives and Fampoux was a further advance, and he was killed going into it. There were a lot killed by the same shell.

Percy was 27 years old. His brother Cyril was also killed in the 1st World War, 17 months after Percy, Find A Grave: Memorial #56541028.

BRIGHTON WAR MEMORIAL (1914-1921) World War 1 - Roll of Honour:

Corporal 9023, 4th Battalion, South African Infantry. South African Brigade. Killed in action 9th April 1917. Aged 27. Son of George & Elizabeth Deborah Burrough of 30, Grenville Place, Brighton. Listed in St. Peters Memorial Book under Privates. St. Marks Church Kemp Town Memorial. Buried in Bailleul Road East Cemetery F. 644.

Olive Thorrold later sailed to England to visit Percy's family in Brighton. Percy's death was a real tragedy for Olive, one that remained with her for many years. Percy wrote letters to Olive from the training camps before he went off to the front line. These letters remain in a suitcase of Olive's belongings long after her death, to one day be transcribed it is hoped, nearly 101 years later (2018).

INSCRIPTION:

DEARLY LOVED

TURN DOWN AN EMPTY GLASS

OLIVE

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} South African War Graves Project Grave of P. V. C. Burrough Seen and entered Jan 2024 by Frederik Willem Johannes Britz
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10} Commonwealth War Graves Commission Grave of P. C. V. Burrough Seen and entered Jan 2024 by Frederik Willem Johannes Britz
3. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XYR-SW4 : 1 October 2014), Percy Charles V Burrough, 1890; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006,"

• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7B1-FLT

• http://www.militair.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=6471

• http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1frenchcemeteries/brownscopse.htm

• https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/lifestory/624124#timeline

• http://www.greatwar.co.uk/somme/memorial-delville-wood.htm

• http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Sussex/Brighton_WW1_B.html

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56422225/p-c_v-burrough

Census Records

• "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4DSG-HT2 : accessed 3 February 2016), Percy C V Burrough in household of Elizabeth D Burrough, Brighton, Sussex, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census,"

• "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSNP-QM1 : 8 April 2016), Percy C V Burrough in household of George Burrough, Brighton, Sussex, England; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census,"

• "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7B1-FLT : 2 August 2017), Percy Charles Victor Burrough in household of Elizabeth Deborah Burrough, Brighton, Brighton, Sussex, England; from "1911 England and Wales census,"