1036th Employment Company, Labour Corps, 28 October 1918
Synopsis of Life and Military Service
Lance-Corporal Percy Alexander Dunlop
1874 – 28 October 1918
Percy Alexander Dunlop was born in early 1874 in Camberwell, Southwark, London, the son of Charles and Emma Cherry Dunlop. Raised in a close-knit family, Percy, known affectionately throughout his life as “Perce”, shared a particularly strong bond with his older brother, Arthur S. Dunlop. The two grew up side by side, attending school together and later entering the family’s publishing and trade ventures following in their fathers footsteps.
On 8 September 1896, at St John’s Church, East Dulwich, in the parish of Southwark, London, Percy married Bertha Emma Hudd of Camberwell, Surrey, daughter of Joseph Hudd, deceased, who had been a commercial traveller.
On 3 August 1897, his daughter Eileen Emma Dunlop was born at Hadley, Barnet, London.
The Dunlop name became well known within the “talking machine” industry through their own publications such as The Phono Trader which was in circulation at least by 1906 and later Sound Wave which incorporated the Phono Trader and Recorder publications, in which Percy played a central role as an outside representative and Arthur as Editor. In the 1911 Cesus Percy’s occupation is shown as a Printer Manager. His genial personality, quick wit, and natural warmth made him widely liked; colleagues and acquaintances alike knew him simply as “Perce,” a man who, as his brother recalled, “never had a bad word for anyone.”
Beyond business, Percy was deeply involved in his local community, particularly in Southend-on-Sea, where he lived for several years. There he became a prominent member of the local dramatic society, earning admiration for his performances in a range of theatrical productions. His life before the war was one of energy, sociability, and devotion to both family and profession.
Answering the Call
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Percy was already around forty years of age, older than many new recruits. Despite this, he immediately volunteered for service enlisting at Westminster, Middlesex in September 1914. Initially unsuccessful, he persisted until he was accepted, a testament to both his determination and his strong physical condition.
By early 1915, as recorded in Sound Wave, Percy had joined the 2nd Battalion of the 14th London Regiment, ‘The London Scottish’, initially as service number 2939 and later 510411, a regiment already distinguished for its courage in action. He chose to serve in the transport section, a vital but often overlooked role responsible for maintaining the flow of supplies to the front and rose to the rank of Lance-Corporal.
The magazine spoke proudly of him:
He had “left his wife and family at the call of his country… and placed at risk his life for the dear fatherland.”
At that time, there was confidence, shared by many, that the war would end in a “glorious victory” and that men like Percy would return home. His colleagues sent their good wishes, and his absence from the publication was felt keenly, though regarded as a small sacrifice compared to the cause he served.
Service Overseas
His military journey took him first to home service, then to Ireland, and later overseas to France / Flanders. As he was not awarded the 1914–15 Star, it is clear that he did not enter a theatre of war until after 1915. Eventually, he was transferred to the Labour Corps (Area Employment Company, service number 533204), where his experience would have been used in essential logistical and labour operations supporting the army.
His final posting brought him to the Salonika front against the Bulgarians and their allies in the Balkans, a harsh and often overlooked theatre of the war, where disease proved as deadly as enemy action.
Death Far From Home
On 28 October 1918, Percy Dunlop died at the 63rd General Hospital, a mainly tented establishment on the outskirts of Salonika, Greece. His death came not from wounds in battle, but from the after-effects of malarial fever, a common and devastating illness in the region.
The timing was especially poignant. His death occurred just days before the Armistice would bring the war to an end. After years of service, survival, and endurance, he did not live to see the peace for which he and millions of others had sacrificed. He is buried and honoured at Mikra British Cemetery, Kalamaria, Greece.
A Brother’s Tribute
In December 1918, his brother Arthur wrote a deeply personal tribute in Sound Wave, abandoning formal editorial tone in favour of heartfelt remembrance. He recalled their shared childhood, their business partnership, and Percy’s enduring character, his humour, generosity, and unwavering good nature.
Arthur wrote of “Perce” not as a distant figure, but as:
“my dear brother… my intimate associate from boyhood to manhood… a true brother, a generous-hearted friend, a dear old pal.”
He spoke of the cruel timing of Percy’s death, “only a few short days” before the war’s end, and of the profound loss felt by his widow, Bertha, and their daughter.
Remembered
Percy Alexander Dunlop was one of many whose lives bridged the worlds of civilian enterprise and military service. He was not a professional soldier, but a family man, businessman, and community figure who answered the call of duty despite his age and circumstances.
He served in multiple theatres, adapted to changing roles, and endured the hardships of war, only to be claimed by illness at its very end.
His story is a reminder that the cost of war extended far beyond the battlefield, and that sacrifice was not measured solely in combat, but in years given, lives disrupted, and families left behind.
His brother’s final words endure as the most fitting epitaph:
“You gave your life in a Great Cause… Your memory will be ever green.”
A Poem to a Son
The following poem is a heartfelt tribute by Charles Dunlop to his late son, Percy:-
Rule of the Supreme
Evil and agony exist-
In Protean shapes persist;
In unleashed tempest and in storm
God’s goodness takes portentous form.
Counsels divine, occult to men,
Far pass beyond all human ken.
Mountains, deep-seated, by earthquake
Rent asunder, convulsive shake.
Great cities perish, thousands die,
In stricken heaps their relics lie.
Fire and flood – ministers of fate-
Ope wide to death an iron gate.
Disease, disaster, vest in gloom,
Make escort to the silent tomb.
Grim war, in panoply of hate,
Dooms myriads to ensanguined fate.
The links of love, sweet ties of home,
It ruthless breaks, and earth’s fair dome
Makes devastate. Alas, alas!
As if ’twere fiends that held the pass.
To all that lives a common grave:
For thee, my son, thy soul was brave!
Was brighter hope of other life
Oh happiness, redeemed from strife-
A life of song, to care unknown,
And banished pain’s sade-freighted moan
But e’en our earth’s copious womb,
With wealth of fragrance and of bloom,
To all of mortal issue born
Doth yield rich store of fruits and corn,
Making a picture fair to sight.
The sun’s glad tribute, heat and light,
To our world a heavenly dower
Of gracious and excelling power.
The wind, by will of One Allwise,
Where plague and pestilence arise,
Their baleful potence shatters,
Their vapours malignant scatters.
O’er earth and skies rules the Supreme,
The elements subservient team!
Nature submissive to His laws,
To all effects great source and cause.
Be ours to make an end to wars-
To wrest the sword from martial Mars.
The small, soft rain, like dew of love,
Like voice of peace, comes from above.
Family
Percy Alexander Dunlop was born c.1874 at Peckham, Surrey. The following family information is taken from the 1911 Census.
His family is shown as follows :-
- Wife: Bertha Emma Hudd or Dunlop, born c.1870 at Camberwell, Surrey.
- Daughter: Eileen Emma, born 3 August 1897 at Hadley, Barnet, London.
- Father: Charles Dunlop, born c.1838 at Melrose, Scottish Borders – Master Printer Employing 12.
- Mother: Emma Dunlop, born c.1843 at Belgar (sic), Ireland.
- Brother: Charles E., born c.1861 at Tranmere, Cheshire – Compositor.
- Sister: Mary E., born c.1863 at Liverpool – Dressmaker.
- Brother: Joseph W., born c.1867 at Dalston, London – Printers Apprentice.
- Sister: Hannah, born c.1869 at Dalston, London.
- Brother: Arthur S., born c.1872 at Walworth, London.
- Sister: Flora, born c.1875 at Peckham, London.
- Sister: Emma, born c.1878 at Southwark, London.
Addresses
The following addresses have been ascertained for Percy Dunlop :-
- 1881: 2 Dagmar Road, Camberwell.
- 1891: Dulwich, Myrtle Lodge. Camberwell.
- 1901:, Montrose, Ernest Road, Hornchurch, Havering, London.
- 1911: 13 Ramuz Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend, Essex.
- 1918: ‘Ventnor’, 32 St. Georges Park Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.
Medals
Percy Dunlop was awarded the Victory, and the British War Medal for his service in the Great War.
Memorials
Percy Alexander Dunlop is honoured and remembered on the following memorials :-
- St Saviours Parishioners, Kings Road, Westcliff On Sea, Essex.
Remarks
His daughter Eileen Dunlop joined the Woman’s Royal Air Force on 13 June 1918, at Hurst Park, London, the organisation having been formed on 1 April of that year. Her occupation was shown as a driver. Following the armistice she was discharged on the 29 March 1919.
Links to Additional Information
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission: P.A. Dunlop.
- Find a Grave website: Percy Dunlop.
- A Street Near You website: P.A. Dunlop.
- Lives of the First World War: Percy A. Dunlop.
References
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- Medal Roll: Labour Corps. (Ancestry)
- Soldiers Died in the Great War. (Ancestry)
- Medal Index Card. (Ancestry)
- Imperial War Museum: War Memorials.
- 1891 Census. (Ancestry)
- 1901 Census. (Ancestry)
- 1911 Census. (Ancestry)
- Register of Births 1874. (Ancestry)
- Church of England Marriages 1754-1940. (Ancestry)
- National Probate Calendar. (Ancestry)
- Church of England Birth and Baptism Records, 1897. (Ancestry)
- Register of Soldiers Effects. (Ancestry)
- Publication: Sound Wave dated January 1915. (British Newspaper Archive)
- Publication: Sound Wave dated December 1918. (British Newspaper Archive)
- Pension Cards (Western Front Association)
Groups
Contributors:-
- Vincent Stuart. (Main Story)
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