Sergeant James Piercy M.M.

Sergeant James Piercy M.M., 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 14th November 1916, aged 22 during the Battle of the Somme. He was the son of Andrew and Jane Piercy of 77 West End, Tweedmouth and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Somme, France. He fell in the attack on ” Gird Line ” and ” Hook Sap ” which was intended to capture the high ground neat the infamous Butte De Warlencourt.  After hand to hand fighting the attack was only partially successful and cost the Battalion 2 Officers and 19 Other Ranks killed with 4 Officers and 101 Other Ranks wounded. In addition 2 Officers and 103 Other Ranks were posted missing. In Great War speak missing usually meant dead. By November the rains had turned the ground into a glutinous quagmire making all movement very difficult as can be seen from the photographs. The colour photo shows the impressive memorial raised to commemorate the fallen of the 50th ( Northumbrian Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918. It was erected near the village of Weiltje in the Ypres Salient where nearby the Division had fought its first action of the War on 26th April 1915 only days after landing on the continent.

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