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Old 09-03-15, 07:20
Jill Jill is offline
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Default (49) Albert Smith, Pte TF241424 1/5 Bn Royal Sussex Regiment

49th of the Old Boys of St Wilfrid's School, Haywards Heath to lose his life in WW1.

Albert was born in Haywards Heath, Sussex on 15 June 1897 and his brother Charles on 4 Sept 1895 sons of George Alfred and Annie Smith who had four other sons and two daughters. Their father was a bricklayer’s labourer and they lived at 23 Queens Road. In 1911 Charles was a “chicken lad” on a poultry farm, and by the time he enlisted was an errand boy.

Charles had joined the Navy and was serving on HMS Bulwark when he died on 26 Nov 1914.

Albert had worked for the baker at Walstead, then survived serving in the Dardanelles from 22nd August 1915 where so many of the Royal Sussex Regiment had died, before moving on to northern Europe where he met his death aged 20 at St Julien, Ypres on 30 Sept 1917. His grave is at Duhallow Cemetery, grave I D 1.

There was a piece about him in the local paper:

MID SUSSEX TIMES 9 OCT 1917
DEATH OF PRIVATE A SMITH
Yesterday (Monday) morning Mrs Smith, of Queen’s Road, received news of the death of her third son, Private Albert Smith, Royal Sussex Regiment. He was 20 years of age, and prior to enlisting was employed by Mr Lyle, the baker, of Walstead. He had enteric fever at the Dardanelles, and on improving was sent to England and later went out to France, where he had been for the last twelve months. Captain Whiteman, writing from France to Mrs Smith, said:-

“It is with the deepest regret that I have to inform you of your son’s death. He was out with a working party when a shell burst close to him. The poor boy was hit in the back and died within a few minutes. Please accept the sincerest sympathy of myself and all the officers and men of “A” Company in your great loss. Your son was a good soldier and worker, and will be greatly missed by his comrades. One’s consolation (though small) is that the poor boy could not have suffered for long, as he died whilst his wounds were being attended to, and also that he died as a soldier, doing his duty for his King and Country.”


Mrs Smith’s husband is lying very ill in a Brighton hospital. He was in the Royal Defence Corps. Mrs Smith’s second son lost this life on the “Bulwark.”

His effects of £21 14s 2d were sent to his father George on 4th March 1918 a few weeks before George died, while his mother Annie was sent a War Gratuity of £13 10s on 15th January 1920.
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