Percy Britland was born on 29th November 1899 in Hatton. He was the son of Thomas Britland (born Crowton) and his wife Mary Elizabeth (nee Clarke) who was born in Gorstage.
In 1901 Percy was living in Hatton village with his parents and his siblings Florence A. (11) and Frances (7). Another child, Mary Elizabeth, had died aged 2 years in 1900.
Sadly, his mother died in September 1903 at the age of 36 years.
By 1911 his father had married again (in 1905) to Frances Ann Ellison from Hatton and Percy was living with them and his siblings Thomas (9) and Mabel (7). His father was working as a teamsman, a driver of a team of animals on a farm.
Percy attended school at Daresbury and then was employed by Mrs. Billington at Village Farm in Daresbury.
His war service records show him as being at one time in a Training Reserve Battalion (service Number TR4/31785), but also in the Welsh Regiment (service number 58116) with the rank of Private. He joined up on November 22nd 1917, a week before his 18th birthday. It is not clear what theatre of war he fought in.
The Warrington Guardian dated 9th November 1918 records that he had suffered burns through gassing. At this time his address was given as New Cottages in Hatton. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. There is no mention of him in the absent voters list for Hatton in 1918 or 1919, but he did live in Hatton for a few years after the war.
Percy married Lillian Bamber in Prescot in the summer of 1921 and they had at least two children, Mabel born in 1922 and Ronald born in 1926.
The 1939 register shows the family living in St. Helens, near the Ravenhead glass works. Percy was employed as a batch mixer in the bottle works.
His wife died in 1965. Percy lived on in St. Helens until he died in November 1993. He was 94 years old.