Soldier Record
James Pearce
Contributed by: Graham Naylor, on 2008-11-11
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | James |
| Surname | Pearce |
| Year of Birth | 1889 |
| Year of Death | 1919 |
| Regiment | Worcestershire Regiment |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Devonport, Devon |
James's Story
The Diary of 2nd Lieut James Pearce for 1916 makes for fascinating reading; it sums up the horror of the Somme. The following is a typical example of one of his entries:
...Continuous shelling today, 1000 per minute...
Sunday, 12th November 1916
At 8 o/c last night Fritz started sending over shells, about 20 duds and 2 live ones. Finished about 9.30. No damage. Peculiar swishing sound as they came over, very foggy night – blind firing. Continuous shelling today, 1000 per minute. 8.30am sending a few more over all duds – 10pm shelling getting heavier. Finished work at 10 o/c, our hut shaking badly with concussion. Weather foggy. Terrific bombardment up to 7 o/c barrage fire. Boys went over the top.
James Pearce survived the Somme, no doubt scarred by the images of the carnage. He died in India in 1919.
He was posted to Poona, India in 1918 and died there of Heatstroke on the 4th July 1919.
James had been married just over two years and left a Widow and young son, whom sadly he never saw.
No additional memories have been submitted