PERCIVAL CHARLES HOULT
1897 – 17th October 1915
Percial Charles Hoult is the third son of George Hoult and Alice Mary Hoult (nee Hunt). They were
married in the Evesham district in the last quarter of 1890. Shortly, afterwards they moved to
Penarth, and had five children: Muriel Alice born about February 1891, Alexander Rupert (also
referred to as Rupert Alexander) born in the first quarter of 1893, Douglas George born in the first
quarter of 1895, Percival Charles born in the third quarter of 1897, Ernest Gordon born in the last
quarter of 1899.
Alice died in the last quarter of 1899. The cause of her death is not known but it may well have
been connected to the birth of Ernest. This, left George with a young family to bring up and later
censues show some of the children in the care of relatives in Penarth, or Bretforton in
Worcestershire, where Alice had relatives.
(Main Street, Bretforton, Honeybourne)
The 1901 census shows George, Douglas and Rupert at 59 Grove Terrace, Penarth, and Percival
living with his aunt and uncle, Grove Terrace being in the ecclesiastical parish of All Saints. In
1911, Percival was 13, and a farm labourer, living in Main Street, Bretforton, Honeybourne, Worcs,
with his grandparents, Charles and Esther Tomkins and his brother, Ernest Hoult, then aged 12 and
still at school. Grandfather Charles was a market gardener, who was born in Campden, Gloucs., and
Grandmother, Esther, was Alice Hoult’s mother.
Percival served in the 7th Brigade, the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery with the rank
of Gunner (service number 13844). This Brigade was originally comprised of numbers 235, 236
and 237 Batteries RFA and the Brigade Ammunition Column. It was placed under command of the
16th (Irish) Division.