Royal Air Force
Percy Cornelius Edwin Cuff was the son of George and Florence Cuff and was born in Gloucester in the fourth quarter of 1891.
Prior to enlistment, according to his RAF service record (National Archives: AIR 79/774/85489) his occupation was a postman. The 1911 census records that at that time he was living in Llanelli, Wales, in lodgings, whilst working as a fitter’s mate.
In the third quarter of 1917 he married Sarah Elizabeth Seabridge and the couple lived at 67 Melbourne Street, Tredworth, Gloucester. They had a daughter, born in 1919.
Percy enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps on 23 June 1917, which must have been shortly before his marriage. It appears unlikely that he served overseas as he spent only 176 days in service, being discharged from 44 Squadron, via Farnborough on 26 November 1917; discharge was due to being ‘no longer fit for war service’. His record does note that he was liable to be sent a statutory order on 14 December 1918 requiring him to present himself for medical re-examination under the Military Service (Review of Exemptions) Act 1917. There is no indication that this occurred but this was, of course, after the Armistice.
It appears likely that Cuff was suffering from illness when he was discharged and that his death, in Gloucester, on 18 July 1919, aged 27, was attributed to his war service. He was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a CWGC headstone marks his grave.
Researched by Graham Adams 4 May 2013