Hugh Mercer's Story.
EARLY LIFE
Hugh Mercer Davies was born on 1 February and baptised on 1 March 1884 at St Saviour's Church, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, the son of Sarah Ann (nee Bridle) and William Davies, a labourer of 8 Rosamond Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. Two years later his sister, Mary Bridle Davies, was born.
By 1901 the family had moved to 12 Tuer Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, and Hugh was working as an apprentice plumber. Ten years later the family had moved again, to 1 Rosamond Place, and Hugh had his own plumbing business.
On 11 April 1912 Hugh sailed from Liverpool to New York on the S.S. Celtic. It is not known when he returned, but on 5 November 1913 he married Laura Wood, a maternity nurse living at 3 King's Road, Prestwich, at St Paul's Church, Chorlton-on-Medlock. Laura had been born in Macclesfield, and her family lived at 65 Brook Street, Macclesfield. The couple had a daughter, Mary Mercer, and a son, Hugh Mercer Davies.
MILITARY SERVICE
Prior to the start of the war, Hugh had served for eleven years as a territorial with the East Lancashire Divisional Engineers and re-enlisted immediately in August 1914. He was allocated service number 1095, later changed to 440138, and was drafted to Egypt in November 1914, then served at Gallipoli from August 1915.
Hugh rose through the ranks and held the rank of Coy. Sergt. Major when he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal whilst serving in Gallipoli. The citation in the London Gazette of 21 June 1916 states:
1095 Coy. S./M. H.M. Davies, 1/2nd E. Lancs Fld. Coy., R.E., T.F.
For exceptional ability and good work. He turned out a large quantity of grenades to meet an urgent demand.
The Macclesfield Times reported on 2 February 1918 that Second-Lt. Davies had been awarded the DCM:
D.C.M. FOR LOCAL SOLDIER - Second-Lieut. Hugh Mercer Davies, Royal Engineers, whose wife resides at 65, Brook Street, Macclesfield, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct medal for exceptional ability and good work at the Dardanelles in August, 1915. At the time, Lieut. Davies held the rank of Co.-Sergt. Major. Lieut. Davies is thirty-four years of age and had served eleven years with the Lancashire Territorials prior to August 1st, 1914. On the outbreak of war he re-enlisted as a private and went out to the Dardanelles with the first drafts. Lieut. Davies remained in Gallipoli until the evacuation, when he was sent to Egypt. Later, he was transferred to France and after about four months' service returned to England to train for a commission. Lieut. Davies was gazetted in due course and was appointed senior drill instructor at Carnarvon last October. He is now expecting shortly to take out a draft to France.
Hugh received his commission on 8 September 1917 and was appointed senior drill instructor at Caernarvon training camp in October, where he remained for several months. On 10 December 1917 he was initiated into the De Tabley (Knutsford) Lodge of Freemasons.
Hugh was later drafted to France, where he was killed in action on 12 October 1918. The death of Second-Lieut. Hugh Davies was reported in the Macclesfield Times on 1 November 1918:
SECOND-LIEUT. HUGH MERCER DAVIES, R.E., whose wife and two children reside at 65 Brook Street, Macclesfield, was killed in France on October 12. Prior to the outbreak of war Lieut. Davies had served eleven years in the Army , and retired with the rank of Quarter-master Sergeant. He re-enlisted in the East Lancs. Regt. in August 1914 and fought in Gallipoli. In 1917 he came to England and trained for a commission, being gazetted to the Royal Engineers. For some months he was on the instructional staff in England, and was later drafted to France. Lieut. Davies was 35 years of age, and prior to the war was in business as a plumber, etc., at Chorlton-on-Medlock.
His death was also reported in the Manchester Evening News on 4 December 1918:
LIEUT. HUGH MERCER DAVIES, of the 430th Field Company, Royal Engineers, killed in action near La Cateau, was well known in Manchester as a sanitary engineer. Lieut. Davies lived at Rosamond Place, Chorlton-on-Medlock. He enlisted in August 1914 in the East Lancashire Divisional Engineers, and went to Egypt in September. He won the D.C.M. at Gallipoli, and then in France, in 1917, was given a commission and posted to another company of field engineers. One of his brother officers wrote to the widow, Mrs L. Davies, of Brook Street, Macclesfield, to say that Lieut. Davies was on reconnaissance work preparing for the construction of a bridge over a small river when he was killed by a shell.
COMMEMORATION
Second Lieutenant Hugh Davies is buried at Maurois Communal Cemetery, France, in grave ref. 43. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission holds casualty details for Second Lieutenant Hugh Mercer Davies, and he is listed on the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War website.
Locally, Second-Lt. Davies is commemorated on the Macclesfield Park Green war memorial, and is thought to be the Hugh M. Davies commemorated on the Knutsford St John the Baptist Church and Civic war memorials. Elsewhere, he is commemorated on the Welsh National Roll of Honour.
SOURCES
Manchester Parish Baptism Registers
Census (England & Wales): 1901, 1911
WWI British Army Medal Rolls Index Cards (Ancestry)
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls (Ancestry)
Lives of the First World War website
Masonic Great War Project website
Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
London Gazette: 21 June 1916
Macclesfield Times: 2 February 1918, 1 November 1918
Manchester Evening News: 4 December 1918
Western Mail: 8 November 1930
Researched and compiled by Tony Davies.
Further research by Rosie Rowley, Congleton.