Captain Robert Clement PERKS (1913)

10th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
Born 2 January 1895 in Halifax, West Yorkshire
Killed in action 27 October 1918, aged 23
Buried at Tezze British Cemetery, Treviso, Italy. Also commemorated on a plaque in St Peter’s Church, Hebden, West Yorkshire.

Robert Perks was the second son of Thomas Probert Perks and Alice Lydia, née Hawkins, of The Green House, Hebden, Yorkshire.

He was educated at Heath Grammar School, Halifax, and came up to Merton in 1913.

He was given a temporary commission in the 10th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) on 19 January 1915, and went out to France in August. He later served in Belgium, and Italy. He was wounded in July 1916, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 26 September 1916, and was Mentioned in Dispatches later that year. His DSO citation reads:

When leading a bombing party, he was wounded in the face and rendered insensible. On recovering, he again took part in the attack. While throwing bombs he was again twice wounded, in the hand and foot, but continued to lead his men till rendered unconscious by a fourth wound in the face.

He was wounded again in June 1917, and for a third time in September, after which he was invalided home, rejoining his battalion in Italy in September 1918.

He was killed in action whilst leading his company against a machine gun during the battle of the Piave, on 27 October 1918.