Percy Camplin: A Librarian on the Western Front

At the staff entrance of the British Library building at St Pancras, London, there is a large wooden memorial plaque containing a list of 142 names. This is the roll of honour for the British librarians that lost their lives while serving in the First World War. The names for the memorial were collated by the Library Association after the war.

Rifleman Percy Walter Camplin is one of those named on the memorial. He died of wounds on the 13th November 1918 while serving with the 1/28th Battalion, London Regiment (the Artists’ Rifles). The Artists were part of 190th Infantry Brigade in the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.