 During the First World War Piercy worked for the Inland Revenue, was a member of the Allied Provisions Export Commission and a director of the Ministry of Food.For his services he was made a CBE in 1919.After the war he became trading general manager of Harrisons & Crosfield Ltd and joint managing director of Pharaoh Gane, and in the early 1930s he was one of the organisers of the first unit trusts.