TOPIC:

Joseph Percy Balson

Trooper, No. II Division (Bulawayo) British South Africa Police – Anglo Boer War
Lieutenant & Adjutant, Royal Defence Corps
Captain, 4th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal (South Africa 1901 & 1902) to 1408 TPR. J.P. BALSON. B.S.A. POLICE.
- British War Medal to CAPT. J.P. BALSON.
- Victory Medal to CAPT. J.P. BALSON.
- Defence Medal (unnamed as awarded)

Percy Balson was born in Poole, Dorset on 24 January 1878, the son of Thomas Halse Balson, a Grocer, and his wife Anne. He was baptised in St James, Poole on 17 February 1878.

The 1881 England census found the Balson family at home in the High Street, Poole where Mr Balson was a Grocer and Trader employing four lads. Percy, at the age of 3, was the last-born with Minnie (4), Kate (6) and Tom (9) in the house to keep him company. Two of Mr Balson’s apprentices lived on the premises as did the Domestic Servant, 19 year old Annie Le Compte.

Catastrophe struck the Balson family a year later when, in June 1882, Thomas Balson sued for bankruptcy. This could explain why, six years later Percy Balson, aged 10, appeared in the Discharge Book of The Workhouse School, Lower Norwood under the Master, a Mr Hammond. This was on Saturday, 21 May 1887. He was discharged by order of a Mr Clinton.

The 1891 England census showed that Balson, now a boy of 13, was at his parental home at 3 Seldown Terrace, Longfleet, Dorset. His father was now an Auctioneer and, hopefully, rehabilitated. Of his mother there was no sign but there were siblings in abundance with older sisters Kate (16) and Minnie Mary (14) joining Harold Bertie (9) and Ella Daisy (6) to make a sizeable household. On this occasion there were no servants in attendance.

The 1901 England census revealed that he was a Boarder in the home of Weymouth Pettley, a Hairdresser, of 40 Woodland Road, Lambeth, London. At the age of 23 Balson was a Hosier & Haberdasher – something he was to devote his life to in the years that followed.



Perhaps there were still financial constraints at home or, perhaps a young Percy was imbued with the spirit of adventure so common to Victorian youths, whatever the case may have been, shortly after the abovementioned census, Percy Balson took ship, finding himself under the hot Africa sun as a Trooper in the service of No. II Division of the British South Africa Police. Having enlisted with them on 26 May 1901 at Bulawayo, his presence in this part of the world could also be explained by the fact that there was a war going on. Eighteen months earlier, the Anglo Boer War had erupted onto the world stage and, despite the Imperial forces finally gaining the upper hand, the Boers they were pitted against were far from throwing in the towel.

Assigned the rank of Trooper with no. 1408 Balson was too late to witness or take part in any of the pitched battles of the conflict or, indeed, any of the skirmishing that took place thereafter. His service was confined to Rhodesia which earned him the date clasps to his Queens Medal. Having served with the BSAP for just over seventeen months he took his discharge on 17 October 1902, with a conduct rating of Good, to join the Civil Service although where is not revealed.

His medal was sent to him on 1 September 1905 but, without any clasps attached to it, he returned it with the authorities reissuing the medal, this time with the clasps, to 71 Queen Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire on 4 February 1908.

Having returned from South Africa Balson looked to matters of the heart, wedding Florence Mary, second daughter of the late Joseph Keyte, of Cornwall House, Maidenhead at St Luke’s on 3 August 1903. Three years later, he opened what would prove to be a thriving Men’s Outfitters and Haberdashery at 71 Queen Street, Maidenhead, making his family home above the shop.



According to the 1911 England census, he was a “Hosier and Hatter” Shopkeeper at the above address. The little family had grown with daughter Daisy Florence joining them in 1905 and son Francis Percy, better known to the world as Frank, in 1907.

The world’s equanimity was rudely disturbed with the outbreak of the Great War on 4 August 1914. Although not unexpected there would have been those who thought that, only twelve years after the Anglo Boer War, the belligerents might still be learning the lessons gained from that conflict. Not so, sadly, as Germany was hell-bent on territorial expansion and Great Britain was an impediment to that.

Not one to shirk his duty Balson joined the Territorial Force Reserve and was Gazetted on 20 November 1914 as a 2nd Lieutenant on the General List attached to the Royal Defence Corps with effect from 6 November 1914. Still in England in 1916, he was Gazetted as a Captain and Adjutant, again on the General List, with effect from 28 May of that year. He must have begun despairing of ever “getting to the Front.” His moment came when he was Gazetted on 25 June 1917 to be transferred from the R.D.C. for duty with the Royal Berkshire Regiment as Captain with effect from 5 June 1917.

Posted to France on 19 July 1917 he would appear to have been deployed on Lines of Communication and not, necessarily, in an active combat role which would make his transfer to the 4th battalion Royal Berks. an administrative one. From there he was posted to the Labour Corps until discharge.

A summary of his service would thus be:

That he was administratively posted from the Territorial Force Reserve List to the 4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, (a TF Battalion) so that he could command a Supernumerary Company. These Company’s’ were made up of men too old or in lower levels of medical classification but with some experience – e.g. veterans of the Boer War and earlier campaigns. These Supernumerary company’s’ took on Guard duty at ports, railway junctions, prisoner of war camps and the like. When the Royal Defence Corps was formed in mid 1916 it took over these duties and absorbed the Supernumerary Companies’. Still administratively part of the 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment he was subsequently posted to a unit of the Labour Corps in France.



With the advent of the 1921 England census he was to be found as was previously the case, living above his premises at 71 Queen Street, Maidenhead. Now 43 years old, he was described as a “Gent’s Hatter & Hosier”. Daisy, now 16, was a Shop Assistant at J.C. Webber & Sons Ltd. at 62 High Street, Maidenhead. All else was the same as before with the addition of another child, 7 year old Lilian Olive who would have been born in 1914.

With no further military demands on his time Balson was able to devote himself more fully to his business which prospered. The threat of war loomed large as 1939 dawned and, according to the 1939 Register (there was no census taken in 1941) he was a Gents Outfitter by day and an ARP Liaison Officer in his spare time. The Second World War was declared on 6 September 1939 and Balson rose to the occasion once more – this time round as a RC or Regional Co-ordinator of the ARP for Maidenhead Borough. Taking up his duties from 8 September 1939 he continued to play his part until the war was almost over. He was rewarded with the Defence Medal for his assistance.

This indefatigable old soldier finally laid his head to rest on 17 January 1959 at White Lodge Court Road, Maidenhead. He had, many years prior to this handed over the reins to his son Frank and was able to bequeath the handsome sum of £11 000 to his children.



An obituary which appeared in a local paper read thus: -

“One of the oldest shopkeepers in Maidenhead, Mr Joseph Percy Balson, the Queen’s Street Men’s Outfitter, died in White Lodge Nursing Home on Saturday, a week before his 81st birthday. Born in Poole, Dorset, Mr Balson set up business in Queen Street in 1906. He married a local girl, Miss Florence Keyte, who died some years ago.

Until he became ill ten years ago, Mr Balson took an enthusiastic part in the life of the town. He was a member of the old Thursday cricket and football clubs, and took the original Thursday Football Club team over to France for a match in the early part of this century – an event old Maidonians still talk about. He also took part regularly in the old Maidenhead Operatic and Dramatic Society’s shows.

Although he never exhibited at horticultural shows himself, he was one of the people that revived Cox Green Show after the World War II and was its chairman for a while. For a time he was a familiar figure at local fetes with his game, “the Derby race.” With this he raised more than £3000 for various charities and organisations. He was also a Free Mason and was past Master of Berries Lodge and a founder-member of Hundred of Bray Lodge.

During the South African war Mr Balson was in the South African Mounted Police (sic) and later, in the First World War, he served as a Captain in the Royal Berkshire Regiment. In the Second World War he was a Warden. He is survived by a son, Frank Balson, who will carry on the outfitting business, and two daughters.”

Acknowledgements:
- Contributors to the Balson post on the Great War Forum
- Members of the Maidenhead Histoy fb page
- Ancestry & FMP for medal rolls, census data and other details