Percy Edward Hurst was born in Luton in April 1895.

In 1911 he is living with his widowed father, 2 brothers & 2 sisters at 199 North Street. Percy is 16 & working as a grocer. His 45 year old father Frederick is a dyer's labourer & 19 year old brother Henry, a straw worker are both employed in the hat trade. 17 year old Frederick is a butcher, sisters Louise 15 & Emily 12 are at home.

On 18th November 1914 Percy enlisted into the Bedfordshire Regiment, then was transferred to the 1st battalion Leicester Regiment. The regiment was posted to France in February 1915. It was whilst Percy was in the trenches that he was severly injured & exposed to mustard gas.

On 21st June 1917 the Luton News reported that Percy was in a hospital in Stockport suffering from shrapnel wounds with the possibility of losing the use of his arm. He was discharged from the army on 19th October 1917.

Percy survived the war & in June 1919  he married Doris L Whiting in Luton & went on to have 3 children, Masie, Joan & Edward.

Percy's granddaughter recalls what her mother told her about his experience:

"Percy was in the trenches in Flanders and a German bayoneted his stomach and slit the inside of his right arm from wrist to armpit so that even if he lived he would never fire a gun again. Percy was surrounded by his dead friends when the medics crept out whispering "Anyone alive, anyone alive." In a low voice my grandfather called out, "I'm alive. " The medics picked him up threw him on the stretcher and ran like blue blazes. My grandfather shouted to them, "Put me down, let me die." He was also mustard gassed."

Percy died in December 1938 of a ruptured ulcer, his last words to his daughter were "I've got to go Joanie, my friends are waiting for me over the hill."

Percy is buried in the cemetery on Rothesay Road.