| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Percy Horsley was born in Beverley the 26 Aug 1886, the youngest of nine children of Richard Horsley, a cattle man on a farm, and his second wife Rebecca, nee Robinson. He was baptised on 8 Jan 1893 at St Nicholas' Church, Beverley when he was six years old. Percysiblings were John William, Joseph, Lydia Jessie, Kate (known as Kitty), George Arthur, Sidney (who died as an infant), Fred, and Frank Ethelbert (who went to Canada in 1910).
A sensation was caused in Beverley on the morning of Sunday 21 Jan 1900 when a gas explosion occurred in Flemingate. The Horsley home, with the family inside, was blown up and totally demolished. Their house had no gas connection and the cause was a leakage from pipework in the road. The homeless Horsley family were rehoused at the Old Friary, Eastgate, where they lived until 1911. In 1901 Percy was employed as a footman at Heigholme Hall, Leven. In Oct 1901 Percy's father, Richard Horsley was found dead in a field at Scorborough, having been gored by a bull. By the time of the 1911 census, the family lived at 3 Flemingate, Beverley and Percy was running his own business as a fruiterer.
Private Percy Horsley, of the Army Service Corps attested at Hull on 12 Dec 1915. He was mobilized on 16 Apr 1917 and posted to 'F' Squadron, Remount Depot at Romsey, Hampshire two days later. He embarked for France on 1 Sep 1917 to serve with the Advance Remount Squadron at Abbeville. At the beginning of the Great War the British Army requisitioned extra supplies of horses locally. Later, horses and donkeys were shipped from all over the world and those destined initially for the Depot at Romsey landed at Swaythling, near Southampton. The function of the Remount Depot was to acquire horses and ready them for military service. Percy survived the war and in May 1919 returned to Beverley to resume his pre-war occupation as a fruiterer.
Percy Horsley of 3 Flemingate died in Beverley Cottage Hospital on 15 Sep 1924, aged thirty nine years. He was buried in Queensgate Cemetery.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |