181736 Pte John Pearcy British Army 6th Btn. Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry from:Hellifield, Yorks. My Grandfather,John Pearcy served on the Western Front from 1916 with the 6th batt. Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, in early 1918 this battalion was disbanded and Grandfather was posted to the 16th Entrenching battalion. Shortly after this the Germans launched their spring offensive and grandfather was then posted to the 3rd London Regt. and went back into front line actions.
On the 8th August 1918 the 3rd London's went into action on the first day of the battle of Amiens, their jumping off point was on the green line near Malard Wood, on exiting the wood they came under heavy fire from the German positions on Chipily ridge and Grandfather was wounded in the chest with shrapnel. After being taken to a Casualty Clearing Station, Grandfather was moved out of the line to the Australian General Hospital at Rouen.
On the 17th October 1918 Grandfather returned to his unit and went into action in the final advance in Artois and Flanders. In the early hours of the 31st October 1918 the 3rd Londons were trying to establish a series of posts between the lines near the village of Bleharies in Belgium when they came under shellfire, Grandfather was badly wounded and had a leg amputated on the battlefield before being moved to hospital in Boulogne.
Later that month grandfather returned to the UK on board the hospital ship St David and spent time in several hospitals in Kent, having a re-amputation before being moved nearer home to the Leeds War Hospital in Yorkshire where he was fitted with an artificial leg but it was to be 1920 before he was discharged from hospital and returned to his family.
Grandfather became an active member of his local British Legion branch and led several remembrance day parades in his home village, Grandfather passed away in 1947.
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