Born St Pancras. Rifleman. Died of wounds, France and Flanders, 1/8/17. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has no record of Pte P. R. Leahey.
Our colleague Andrew Behan has researched this man: Rifleman Percy Robert Leahey was born on 21 March 1896, one of the many children of Percy Robert Leahey and Mary Jane Leahey, née Woodward. His father was a printer. On 2 April 1896 he was baptised at St James' Church, Hampstead Road, Camden and the family were living within the parish at 4 Little Exmouth Street. Between 7 April 1902 and 20 March 1903 he attended Camden Street School, Camden. The electoral role for 1910 shows the family still at 4 Little Exmouth Street.
He joined the 16th (Service) Battalion (St Pancras), Rifle Brigade, service number P/447 and died of his wounds, aged 21 years at No.32 Casualty Clearing Station, Brandhoek, Belgium on 1 August 1917. No record appears to exist of his burial site. His family were at the time living at 1 College Lane, Kentish Town, and both his father, who enlisted in the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, aged 39 years and 8 months on 13 July 1916, and his brother, Cecil Harold Edgar Leahey, who joined the East Yorkshire Regiment and later transferred to the Labour Corps, survived the war and continued to live at this address until 1930 when the family moved to 7 Princes Avenue, Kingsbury, NW9. On 24 November 1917 his mother received his £6-12s-5d back pay and on 2 April 1919 a £10 war gratuity. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
