Percy Frank Linfield was born in Storrington, West Sussex on 31 August 1885, son of John and Friend Linfield. He was a domestic gardener by trade, and one of the founder members of the Storrington Military Band. His photograph comes from a postcard depicting the band on 15 February 1904. He married Esther Barbara Brooker at Worth towards the end of 1915, so they had little time together before he joined the 13th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment. He was killed in France in 1917, and the following obituary notice appeared in the West Sussex Gazette, describing the unfortunate circumstances of his death: 

"November 8 (1917) Private PF Lindfield, Royal Sussex Regiment, killed in an air raid on a camp in France on the night of 15 ult was the youngest son of the late Mr John Lindfield, well known and respected in our village and district. He was a member of the Storrington military band from its inception until he joined up. He had been in hospital with a poisoned foot after a period in the trenches, and only rejoined his company two days before he met his death, which was instantaneous. The CO in a letter to his widow (a daughter of Mr (Brooker) of East Grinstead formerly of Copthorne) says "your husband has only been a day or two under my charge, so personally I did not know him, but his comrades inform me that he was one of the best, that his cheerful presence under adverse circumstances went a long way towards making their lives easier and brighter than what they otherwise might have been". Deep sympathy is felt for Mrs Lindfield, who lives in East Dexter, in the sad blow after only a short married life."

It is probably quite an interesting observation that Percy’s name is recorded on at least 3 different war memorials: at Storrington, where he was born; at Copthorne, close to where he was married, in 1915, and at East Grinstead, where his wife's father was living and where he enlisted. They were all places to which Percy could claim a strong link.

Malcolm Linfield