PRIVATE ALBERT SMITH
Died 13th October 1916
No. 26069 of the Durham Light Infantry, 10th Battalion.
Born: Bedford
Resided: Sandy Lane, Woburn Sands
Enlisted: Worthing
Albert lived in Leighton Hollow, Aspley Heath in the 1911 census, along with his widowed mother, two brothers and two sisters. He worked as a Groom. He was born in July 1894.
Albert volunteered in August 1914, and was drafted overseas the next year. The 10th Battalion went to France in May 1915, although Albert had previously been no. 15343 of the Hussars and no. 3/27441 of the Cavalry Reserve Regiment. He had fought at the Somme.
According to the 10th Batt. DLI War Diary, they went into the trenches on October 9th 1916. On 13th October, the Royal Field Artillery were laying down a bombardment of Beaurains to destroy German dug-outs and trenches and retaliation fire was expected, so troops were told to make as little movement as possible. Of course, Albert may have been wounded before this day but died later in hospital.
He was listed killed in action at Ypres. Listed on the Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Listed on the Woburn Sands Memorial, along with his brother, Frederick James. There are too many microfilms of service records for the name “Albert Smith” to look through at The National Archives to see if his papers survive
Page last updated May 2022.