WEST MIDLANDS POLICE GREAT WAR MEMORIAL SITE
WALLACE TALBOT
Wallace
Talbot was born 15th December 1892 in Sutton Coldfield. His father, Thomas
Talbot, was born in 1868 and rose to the rank of Inspector in the Birmingham
City Police. His mother was Annie Eliza Talbot nee Davies.
Wallace joined Birmingham City Police 7th December 1914 and served on the ‘B’
Division, warrant number 8865, collar no. PC B 228. By the end of 1915 he was
serving his country in the Army and after acting as a bombing instructor for
some time he was drafted out to Macedonia holding the rank of Sergeant with the
11th Royal Welch Fusiliers. After officer training at Gidea Hall, Romford, where
he passed out a commissioned officer with honour, he rejoined the Welch
Fusiliers and, by the time of the Armistice came he was serving on the Somme as
Acting Captain with the 9th battalion.
Wallace returned to the police after the war, retiring in May 1942 as a
Superintendent. He died on 27th June 1970 in Stratford.
EDWIN TILLEY
Edwin
was born in 1887 in Stockton on Tees, Durham to Samuel Tilley born in
Commonside, Staffordshire in 1853 and Mary Ann Tilley nee Dawson who was born in
1855. Edwin had six siblings. By 1911 the family was living at 132 Ashted
Road, Birmingham and Edwin was a Police Constable with the Birmingham City
Police.
At the outbreak of war, Edwin joined the army, going to France in 1915, but he
was wounded in early summer and by July 1915 he had been discharged from the
Army and had been taken on as a Civil Clerk in the Public Carriage Department
from 12th July 1915, at the same rate of pay he was receiving before the War,
pending the decision of the War Office as to his Pension.
Birmingham City Police records dated 3rd July 1916 confirmed that PC Edward
(Edwin) Tilley, returned wounded from the Army and who has been for some time
employed as a civil clerk in the Public Carriage Department, be reinstated in
the Force and that his previous service in the Police Force be allowed to count
as approved services under the police Pensions Act.
Edwin died in 1950 in Bridgenorth, Shropshire aged 63.
Edwin's brother, Richard, joined the 1/5 Royal Warwickshire Regiment, going to
France in early 1916, and was killed in action at Pozieres on 18 July 1916.
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died in 1950 in Bridgenorth, Shropshire aged 63win.docx
PERCY GEORGE TROUGHTON
Percy
Troughton was born in 1892 in Greet, Gloucestershire, and resided at Bengeworth,
Worcestershire. He was the oldest child of George and Virginia Troughton,
nee Wiggett, with 2 sisters, Frances (1894) and Florence (1903) and 3 brothers
Ernest (1896), Reginald (1900), William (1901). In 1901 the family were living
in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. In 1911 the family were living at 13 School
Road, Bengeworth, Evesham, where both Percy and his father worked at a jam
factory.
Percy joined the Birmingham City Police on 1st March 1915. He served on the ‘C’
Division with warrant number 8606 until he resigned on 15th November 1915 to
enlist in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He went to France on 6th
February 1916.
On Saturday 26th August Percy's battalion moved from billets at Aveluy to the
trenches at Ovillers. At 7pm on the following day the battalion made an attack
on the German held Constance Trench to their fore. The battalion ran into their
own artillery barrage forcing them to make a swerve to the right. Elements of
the battalion managed to enter Constance Trench but were immediately counter
attacked by Germans from Pole Trench and Constance Trench who forced a
retirement to the starting positions. Casualties amounted to 65 men killed
and three times that number wounded. Percy was initially reported as
missing, but in October, with no news, he is recorded as having been killed in
action on 27th August and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.