Born in 1896 at Tonbridge Kent, son of William (Gardener) and Charity Miles. 1901: With his family at Tonbridge. 1911: A Garden boy aged 14, with his family at The Lodge Higham Hall, Woodford Green. When his parents moved back to Tonbridge, he decided to stay in Woodford.
He was very involved at All Saints Church, being a boy chorister then an adult choir member, server to the Clergy and Sunday School Teacher. A Scout and later an “energetic” member of the Scout Defence Corps, he would often perform night duty at the Fire Station to call out the Fire Brigade or Special Constables.
During 1915 he voluntarily enlisted at St Paul’s Churchyard aged 19, and was attached to the Royal Fusiliers. Having been sent to France in May 1916, he was wounded in the left hand on 15th July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. Although suffering from deafness he returned to France in March 1917 as a bomb thrower, and saw action during the Battle of Arras.
By 02.30 on 26th May 1917, 7 Royal Fusiliers had relieved 10 Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the front line at Oppy-Gavrelle Sector. Although the major Arras engagement had concluded by late May, there was still a level of shelling and small arms fire, consistent with the daily routine of continuing warfare. The absence of the shelling experienced over the previous few days had made 25th May a relatively quiet day at the Front.
For reasons which are unclear, on 28th May 1917 Percy Miles was Killed in Action - the only member of his Battalion to be lost that day.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com