Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Percy was the second youngest of the eight children of iron works forgeman William Geldard from Barnard Castle, and his wife Jane, originally from Leeds, his siblings were Margaret Ann, William Henry, Mary Jane, George, Rosina , John Edward, and Jarvis. Percy was born on 31st October 1876 in Darlington thirteen years after the birth of his oldest sister Margaret; when he was aged four his father was admitted to the County Asylum and died there two years later. Jane, his mother remarried and had two more children, half siblings Ada and Anthony. By 1901 Percy, having served his apprenticeship, was a foreman printer at Ords and had lodgings in West Hartlepool High Street, and the following year married Esther Jane Battersby and they lived originally in Hartlepool where their son Percy Walter was born in 1903, before returning to live at Livingstone Buildings, Darlington.

In November 1911 Percy emigrated to Canada sailing from Liverpool to Montreal on the SS Grampian, making for Toronto and work as a printer. Jane and their son, also called Percy, lived with her parents in Darlington for a year until they sailed to Canada to join him in Toronto, where their second son Harry was born in 1916. Percy joined the 12th York Rangers, a local militia group and on 9th October 1916 enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and became Private 285630 in the 220th York Rangers Overseas Battalion. After sailing to England in April 1917, the battalion was absorbed into the 3rd Reserve Battalion at West Sandling and Percy was promoted to Lance Corporal on being transferred to the 134th Battalion at Witley. After a year he reverted to the ranks at his own request, was transferred to the 12th Battalion and then on 18th March 1918 travelled to France as a reinforcement for the 3rd Battalion, joining then at the end of the month at Bois du Froissart.

Six months later during operations on the Drocourt Queant Line on 2nd September 1918 Private Geldard “was shot through the lungs and instantly killed by an enemy machine gun bullet”.

Percy Geldard is remembered in Darlington onD40.034 and in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail’s Hartlepool 1914-18 Casualties list

He is also remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Geldard