A Poppy
A Poppy

Memorials & Monuments
on the Isle of Wight
- Biography -
- Percy Downer -

Unknown person Name : Percy Downer

Son of Jane Downer; father unknown.

Born : 1884, Brighstone, Isle of Wight.

Baptized : 23 March 1884, Isle of Wight Bible Christian (Yar Circuit). Son of Jane Downer of Burnt House, Brixton (sic) [Brighstone].
  Census information :

1891 : not located

1901 : William Downer, a widower, with family members including his nephew Percy, aged 17, are at Brooke Grange, Brook, Isle of Wight. William Downer is an Agricultural Labourer; Percy Downer is a Garden Labourer.

1911 : William and Ellen Marshall, with nephew Percy Downer, aged 26, are at Hoxall Dairy, Mottistone, Isle of Wight. William Marshall is a Dairyman; Percy Downer is a Gardener (domestic).
  Service Details :

Private 6804 Percy Downer, 13th Bn., Hampshire Regiment.

Casualty Details :

Died : 8 Nov 1914, aged 30.

Commemorated at : Ploegsteert Memorial, Hainault, Belgium.

CWGC Record
  Commemorated on these Memorials :

Carisbrooke Castle County War Memorial Panel 04 (appears as DOWNER P, and DOWNER P W)
Brook St Mary's Church War Memorial WW I (as P DOWNER)
Mottistone SS Peter and Paul's Church Parish War Memorial (as P DOWNER)
Newport Barton School War Memorial (as P W DOWNER)
Newport St Paul's Church Parish War Memorial WW I (as P W DOWNER)

It has been assumed that all these entries relate to the same man - but it is not clear where the extra forename 'W' originates. There is only one entry for a Percy Downer in CWGC records.
  Documents and Newspaper cuttings :

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS

Saturday, December 12, 1914 Page 8

THE ISLAND AND THE WAR
BROOK MAN KILLED
News was received on Saturday with great regret that Pte. Percy Downer, of the 1st Hants Regiment, nephew of Mr. and Mrs. R. Marshall [1], of Mottiston, had been killed in action. Highly respected locally, for some time past he had been engaged in fishing with Mr. V. Cotton, of Brighstone. He was called up with the Reserve at the outbreak of the war and went out with the first batch of the Expeditionary Force. He was 30 years of age.
  Family information :

[1] William Raul Marshall married Ellen Downer, presumably Percy Downer's mother's sister, in 1902.
  Acknowledgments :

Janet Griffin for newspaper research
  Page status :
Page last updated : 20 October 2014 (added to website)



 
 

 
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