WW1 single medal - British War Medal - PERCY CATTERALL - Royal Engineers – KIA Killed in Action 1918 ‘Fourth Battle of Ypres’

Reference: MM-MED-0008 

You are looking at a British War Medal inscribed ‘140273 SPR. P.CATTERALL. R.E.’

PERCY CATTERALL, the son of Police Constable ROBERT CATTERALL and his wife MARY, was born at Preston in 1896.

Lance Corporal PERCY CATTERALL was a member of the 57^th Field Company the Royal Engineers, and he was killed on the 14^th of April 1918, during the ‘Battle of the Lys’, also known as the ‘Fourth Battle of Ypres’. He was 21 years old.

From the 57^th Field Company War Diary, we know that on the 10^th of April 1918, the Company was in the area of Café Belge, a short distance south-west of Ypres. That day, they were attached to the infantry who went on the attack, in a westerly direction from La Haute, and the company were at some point located in the area of La Creche Nieppe. Over the coming days, the diary shows them in the area of Nieppe on the 11^th of April, Nouveau Monde on the 12^th and 13^th, and Bailleul Armentieres and St Jans Cappel on the 14^th. On the 14^th of April, Sections 1 and 4 of the 57^th constructed barricades in the streets of Bailleul and Section 2 were involved in marking out the Brigade sector between Bailleul and St Jans Cappel, whilst Section 3 prepared for demolition work of the crossroads between Bailleul and St Jans Cappel, and a bridge crossing at Becque de la Flanche. The company eventually withdrew, with the Brigade they were attached to, to St Jans Cappel, with the diary reporting 1 x other rank killed and 6 wounded.

It has to be assumed PERCY CATTERALL was a member of Section 3 and that he is the ‘other rank’ killed that day. He is commemorated at Tyne Cot Memorial.

There is a record of PERCY having been buried at Preston Old Cemetery in Preston, but this appears to be wrong, in that he is commemorated on the gravestone of his parents as opposed to him being buried with them. 

SELLER NOTE = Supporting documentation obtained and / or created during my research into this medal will be provided, including a copy of the war diary entries.

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