Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I have come across the following notice in the Liverpool Echo dated 8th November 1916

BIBBY-October 21. killed in action in his 18th year, Percival Ascroft Bibby, Signaller. R.F.A. of 39, Fern Grove, Sefton Park. youngest son of W. Ascroft Bibby of Liverpool and South America. I can't locate a death for a Percival Ascroft Bibby on CWGC.

A search of SDGW for all soldiers from Liverpool whose date of death is recorded as 21st October 1916 did give me a Percival Graham. On checking Soldiers effects his sole legatee is recorded as a Marie Davies. Could Percival Graham be Percival Ascroft Bibby. His brother William Hallam Bibby was Killed also.
Any help tying these 2 together will be appreciated.

Royal Field Artillery
Graham
17553
Percival
Gunner
Liverpool
21st October 1916
Killed
Miss Marie Davies.

Percival Ascroft Bibby is residing at 39, Fern Grove with a family called Davies and there is a Marie Florence Davies in the same House.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... ource=7814

Royal Army Medical Corps
Bibby
30339
William Hallam
Private
Sefton Park
10th March 1916
Killed
39, Fern Grove, Sefton Park. Born at Manchester. Son of Dr. William Ascroft Bibby and Mary Jane Bibby, of Joyce Green Hospital Dartford, Kent.
26th-June-1916 Liverpool Echo

As Percival was only 12 in the 1911 census he must have given a false name and age to enlist,and Graham must have come from somewhere.
His true name is on the Liverpool Institute memorial, according to the Merseyside Roll of Honour site.
I'll get back if I find more.
D

I wondered if Graham was Percival's mother's maiden name, but she was born Hallam, but had married a Mr Stone and was a widow when she married again in Southport in 1896.
Nothing more relevant found.
D

Thanks Daggers.

Hi Katie , with reference to your post of 29/11/16 and daggers response. We have some relevant information if you are still interested?
Regards

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Do please give a little more information, we see some of our posts on this board as memorials to our heroes and it's wonderful to have a better biography of them.

Yes please, t would be lovely to find out why he served as Percival Graham.

You are quite right Percival Graham KIA was the youngest son of William Ascroft Bibby and Mary Jane Bibby (previously Stone,formally Hallam). We were told he ran away from school,but we do not know why he chose the surname Graham.

Will contact you later

Regards

We can understand why Percival chose to run away , his mother Mary Jane Stone passed away from pneumonia and suffering 12 years with a vascular heart condition in 1905 ,his father William Ascroft Bibby left for South America to join his brothers John Percival and Walter Bibby soon after this sad time. Young Percival was left at 39 Fern Grove , Sefton Park with his brother William , who also died in 1916.

Percival and Williams father , William Ashcroft Bibby, we know returned from South America, possibly during the summer of 1916 and left for France as an assistant surgeon on 26/10/1916 to join the Croix Rouge Francais. We understand his preference was the RAMC but unsure how the ORDER DE MISSION instructions came about. He served them until 1921

We have the marriage certificate for Mary Stone and William Ashcroft Bibby of 27/11/96

Regards

Hi , sorry we seem to have lost touch recently. With regards to P A Bibby who served under the name of P Graham , do you have any more information . Regards

Hi, I have no further information for Percival apart from what I have posted. Thanks for your input on this thread.