William Edward Perrett
Memorial: Patchway
Regiment: Dorset Regiment
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Lance corporal
Parents: Samuel John and Lavinia Perrett
Marital status: Married
Home address: Wyke Regis, Weymouth, Dorset
Date of birth: 1909
Date of death: 27/04/1944
Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Kohima War Cemetery, India and commemorated Patchway War Memorial
Age: 34
Further information:
2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment.
William married Ellen Elizabeth Hodder in 1937 and they had a son.
William died during the battle of Kohima (Burma Campaign) probably in the course of fierce hand to hand fighting which took place over several weeks at the District Commissioner's Bungalow in Kohima, which is where he was initially buried. The battle became known as 'The Battle of the tennis court'. The village of Kohima and a small regiment of the West Kents were initially besieged. The Dorsets were part of the 2nd Division which relieved the siege and went on to win the battle marking a turning point in the war against the Japanese by halting their advance into India. The Japanese withdrew on June 3rd having lost 30 thousand of 65 thousand men in the first defeat of imperial army.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kohima
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Tennis_Court