Phyllis Edith Purdy was born in 1893, the eldest of the nine children of Henry Elias Purdy (1857-1913) and Mary Jane Purdy née Corney (1865-1913). Her birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1893 in the Hastings registration district. On 24 January 1894 she was baptised in All Saint's Church, Hastings, Sussex.
At the time of the 1901 census, whilst her parents and two siblings: Tabitha Mary Purdy (1894-1922), and Sarah Alexandra Purdy (1897-1976) were living at home in Hastings, she was recorded as 'an afflicted child', one of twelve who were residing in The House of Sacred Compassion (Home for Crippled Children), Priory Road, Halton, Hastings, Sussex. Her father's occupation was recorded as a boatman.
When her father completed his 1911 census return he listed himself, his wife and their nine children at 4 Waterloo Passage, High Street, Hastings. However, the census enumerator deleted four of his children as already being deceased and amended Phyllis Edith Purdy, a dressmaker in Anerley, to show that she was away from home. Her name appears on a census return completed by a Mary Brown who was a matron at 8 Maple Road, Anerley, London SE. In addition to Phyllis Edith Purdy, there were four other single females who were also recorded with the infirmity of 'cripple' living there together with a female domestic servant girl.
After its formation on 1 April 1918 she joined as a Member of the Women's Royal Air Force, service number 14715. She died, aged 25 years, on 8 December 1918 in the Union Infirmary, Greenwich, from pneumonia and exhaustion and her death was registered on 9 December 1918. Her death certificate gives her home address as having been 40 Tyrwhitt Road, Brockley. She was buried on 13 December 1918 in Plot Z, Grave 313 in Brockley Cemetery, 113 Brockley Grove, London, SE4 1DZ. As she does not have an individual headstone she is commemorated on the screen wall by the war memorial. She is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
