‘Johnnie’ Persse was born on 4 May 1922, the only child of Henry and Emily Persse of Chattis Hill Stables near Stockbridge. Henry – known as ‘Atty’ – was a well-known race-horse trainer and Emily had been a brilliant actress. It would appear that Johnnie had received all their talents and some more.  

Popular and sociable, Johnnie was a natural comic, who could take off anyone after the briefest observation. He also displayed strong qualities of leadership from any early age. It was said of him that “Where John was concerned, there was never any question of not having a go; he was not unreasonably forceful, but afterwards you realized it had never entered your head to refuse”.  

Johnnie started at Twyford in September 1931. He was a hard-working though not intellectually or athletically gifted; he was in the third (lower) set and played in a few football matches for the junior XI or the 2nd XI. In these he played as a ‘back’ along with his friend, James Marshall-Cornwall, who would tragically die in action in the summer of 1944. 

Johnnie moved to Winchester College in September 1935. He was described in the Wykehamist War Service Record and Roll of Honour as “a conscientious plodder” whose high spirits and puckish sense of humour could not fail to enliven any group. Nevertheless, he possessed a thoughtful kindliness and serious purpose which made him a real influence; and he became both a House and a School Prefect.  

With his background in racing, he was passionately interested in horses, and would have followed in his father's footsteps as a trainer.  The racing correspondent of The Times wrote in 1944 that Johnnie “took a great interest in his father’s famous racing stable, and this year had his first race-horse running, the two-year-old Queen of the Nile”.  

In July 1941 Johnnie enlisted in the Rifle Brigade, and secured his commission as a Second Lieutenant the following year. The officer who trained him, Colonel Charles McGregor, recalled “I had about a thousand young officers through my hands during the time I commanded, out of which about ten or a dozen were outstanding – and he was one of them. He had an amazing control of men for a boy of his age”.  

He went to North Africa in April 1943 to join 7th Battalion, Rifle Brigade which was recovering in Egypt from its arduous campaign in Tunisia. Johnnie took a leading part in the organisation of gymkhanas.  

In May 1944 the battalion crossed to Italy to join 6th Armoured Brigade near Aquino. They moved north to Perugia, a city in central Italy about 130km north of Rome. They saw a great deal of fighting around Perugia and in June 1944 Johnnie wrote a letter to his cousin in which he admitted that, “The going is hard.”  

Johnnie was killed on 20 June 1944 by mortar-fire while going out under fire to help a wounded private.   

“The attack that Johnnie was killed in was a memorable one, for the Battalion captured that night a hill that dominated the whole of the ground north of Perugia, and held it against all counter-attacks. We were personally congratulated by the Army and Corps commanders, and, unlike so many casualties that happen in war through odd stray shells, mines, etc., Johnnie’s was attacking a house that was held by German snipers, and they had to cross a flat piece of ground to approach it. The Germans brought down very heavy mortar fire, and wounded several men in his platoon. During this very critical stage, he was quite magnificent, and kept the platoon together. They got the house, and were pushing on past it when a [mortar] bomb wounded one of his men close to him; he immediately went to help him and render First Aid, and whilst doing this another bomb landed right on top of him. He was killed outright. After his death, the platoon went completely to pieces – so much so that they had to be disbanded and split up amongst the rest of the company – which shows what a tremendous influence he had on them.”  

Johnnie Persse was twenty-two years of age when he died, and now rests in the Assisi War Cemetery in Italy.   

by Andrew Keeling - Twyford's Resident Archivist