Boyce, Percival Osmond Bean

BOYCE,

PERCIVAL OSMOND BEAN

BORN 10 OCTOBER 1888

Percival Osmond Bean

Boyce was born in Calcutta, India on 10 October 1888, the son of Osmond Bean Boyce (b in Calcutta) and Edith Mary Boyce (née Ward b 1864 in Merionethshire, North Wales).

According to the biography from the Merseyside Roll of Honour, his father was a civil engineer. Percival was the eldest of seven children: John Leonard Bean (b 1890 in East Indies), Cecil Lindsay Bean (b 1891), Edgar Ronald Bean (b 1892 in Koho India), William Edwin Bean (b 1894), Edith Irene Dorothy Bean (b 1896) and Noel Wilford Bean (b 1899). At the time of the 1901 census Percival and his brothers John and Cecil were boarders at Keyford College, Frome, Somerset.

Percival entered the Shell A Form of the School on 19 January 1904, aged 15, with his brothers John and Cecil joining the school on 17 January 1905. At that time, Percival lived in Chasefield, Knowle. John left the School in April 1905 followed by Percival in December 1905 with Cecil leaving in December 1906.

In June 1906, Percival was an apprentice in the Merchant Navy working on the steam ship Port Kingston.

Percival’s father died in 1907. On 19 May 1915, Percival married Florence Evelyne Cooper (b 1887 in Paignton).

During WWI he served as Chief Officer on the Elder Dempster cargo ship SS Indore, which was torpedoed by the German submarine ub-62 on 25 July 1918 off the coast of Donegal, Ireland.

The ship was beached and later refloated. Percival died four months later on 27 November 1918, aged 30 and was buried at Paignton Cemetery, Devon, (grave reference 2909).

A photo of his grave is to be found below from the Findagrave website.

He left his widowed mother Edith Mary Boyce and a wife Florence Evelyne Boyce. Percival was awarded the Mercantile Marine War Medal as all those that served in the Mercantile Marine (later renamed the Merchant Navy) were awarded a war medal.

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