Albert Edward

Private 10747, 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 23th December 1917. Born Battersea, Surrey, enlisted and resident St Albans. Buried in HOOGE CRATER CEMETERY, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Plot IXA. Row L. Grave 16. See also St Albans

Frederick Ernest

Acting Corporal 15883, 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action in Palestine 20th July 1917. Aged 30. Born, resident and enlisted St Albans. Son of Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Butcher, of 43, Upper Culver Rd., St. Albans, Herts. Buried in GAZA WAR CEMETERY. Israel. Plot XXX. Row A. Grave 15. See also St Albans

COOPER, DCM, MM

William [Salisbury]

UK, Citations of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914-1920:

19583 Sjt. W.S. Cooper, M.M., G. Gds. (St. Albans) (LG 28 Mar. 1918).
For conspicuous gallnatry and devotion to duty. During the attack he showed the utmost gallantry. Volunteering to try and clear up a doubtful situation, he went forward and gained valuable information as to the strength and posotion of our advanced troops. Later, on discovering a hostile machine gun in action, he killed two of the crew. The man accompanying him was wounded four times, but he succeeded in getting him back. His skill and courage on this reconnaissance were of the highest order.

Charles Robert George

Driver 890468, "A" Battery, 270th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force). Died in Egypt 29 November 1917. Aged 29. Born St Albans, enlisted Hertford. Husband of G. A. Day, of 29, Temperance St., St. Albans. Buried in CAIRO WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY, Egypt. Section O. Grave 35. See also Lower Dagnall Street memorial and St Albans

Walter

Private 28331, 11th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action 28 April 1917. Aged 30. Born St Albans, enlisted Tottenham. Son of Robert Dennis; husband of Alice Maud Dennis, of 59, Upper Culver Rd., St. Albans, Herts. No known grave. Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 4. See also St Albans

DORLING

John (Jack) Francis

[Listed as DARLING on SDGW] Private G/18952, 13th Battalion, Sussex Regiment. Killed in action 25th April 1918. Aged 19. Born Walthamstow, Essex, enlisted Watford. Son of John Henry and Emma Matilda Darling, of 55, Boundary Rd., St Albans. No knonw grave. Commemorated on TYNE COT MEMORIAL, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 86 to 88. See also St Albans World War 1 and also St Albans Tabernacle Church

Charles William

1895 – 1917 - Charles was born in St Albans, in 1895. He was the second son and third child of Harry and Rose Harris. Other children in the family were: Clara, Harry, Lilian, Ellen, Jennie, Jessie, Winnie and Leslie. Harry Harris worked on the railways. Charles was a private in the Bedfordshire Regiment. He died on 25th July 1917 and is buried at Pond Farm cemetery, Belgium.

The Herts Advertiser, of 11th August 1917, graphically described his death:

Pte C W Harris - Another of the brave Bedfordshires gone. Mr H Harris of 39 Walton Street, St Albans, has received information that his second son, Pte C W Harris of the Beds Regiment, has been killed in action. Pte Harris joined the army in August 1914 and went to France in July 1915. At the time of the Big Push, July 1916, he was wounded and, again, in April 1917. Mr Harris has received a very sympathetic letter from the officer in command of the Company his boy was in. This officer writes:- ‘I am afraid you have already learnt that your son, Pte C W Harris of this Company, was killed in action on the morning of July 25th. I have known Pte Harris practically ever since his enlistment, as he was one of our original men, just as I was one of the original officers of ------ Company. Your son was one of the best men we have ever had or ever hope to have, and had been, as you know, with us the whole time. I saw him hit the first time at Contalmaison and was in the same trench about four yards away, when he was killed. We were in the trenches near Menances and suddenly, at 2am, a piece of trench, where most of us were, was heavily shelled. The heavy shell landed on a Lewis gun detachment, killing two men, of whom your son was one, and wounding three or four more. Your son was buried by the falling earth and died before we could get him out, although some men immediately started to try and do so. His death must have been almost instantaneous. We carried him right back behind the old British line, and buried him in a cemetery about four and a half miles east of Bailleul.’ Before enlistment, Pte Harris was employed by Mr King, grocer, St Peter's Street, St Albans. He was twenty two years of age, and has another brother in the Royal Fusilliers, who is now in France.

Private 12906, 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 23rd July 1917. Born, resident and enlisted St Albans. Buried in POND FARM CEMETERY, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Row P. Grave 1. See also St Albans Tabernacle Church and St Albans

HOPKINS

Alfred Thomas

Private 84469, 248th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Killed in action 20th September 1917. Aged 31. Enlisted St. Albans. Son of Alfred Hopkins, of 8, Culver Rd., St. Albans; husband of Helen Hopkins, of Sleep's Hyde, St. Albans. Formerly 31157, Northamptonshire Regiment. No known grave. Commemorated on TYNE COT MEMORIAL, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 154 to 159 and 163A. See also St Albans

This is David Payne's grandfather, he added the following notes (please note that the CWGC refers to 248th Company but David refers to the 242nd Company):

My great grandparents, Alfred and Louise Hopkins, moved from Holles Street in Holborn to St. Albans to pursue employment with Messrs. Dangerfields (later to become the printers “Eversheds”) following in his trade as a store lithographer, settling in Culver Road, St. Albans.

Their eldest son, my grandfather, Alfred Thomas Hopkins, was a soldier (called to the colours in 1917) in the Herts and Bedfordshire Regiment, he volunteered for the “Machine Gun Corps”, aptly nicknamed the “Suicide Battalion” so that the extra training period would enable him to stay in England – alive – to be with his family for the birth of his son Alfred.

The 242 Company of the Machine Gun Corps Company records show that he was shipped out to Belgium in June 1917 and was killed 20th September 1917.

The brief history has been taken from the Company diaries, mentioned in the book “With a Machine Gun To Cambrai”, a history of the Machine Gun Corps.

Ypres, 20th September 1917. 242 Machine Gun Corps Company, part of the 23rd Division. The opening salvo on the 1st day of the 3rd Passchendaele-Ypres offensive. His machine gun section was sited in “Jam Trench”, which I believe was situated on the Menin Road, Ypres, Belgium.

"At zero plus 20 minutes, according to orders received from D.M.E.O. (amending appendix 111), fire was opened and lifted to the various barrage lines, according to the programme laid down".

"Various S.O.S. calls were replied to during the day and early hours of the night following".

"Captain J.R. Bellory, MC., commanding the left group (No. 7) was wounded (shellfire) about 10.00am and proceeded to dressing station, whence he was taken to the 10th C.C.S. 2/Lt. Rudd took over command in his place"

(I have signed condolence letters from both he and Sgt. Major March).

The casualties otherwise were 5 killed, shellfire, (A.T. Hopkins among this number) and 3 wounded, shellfire. My grandfather has no known grave, but his name is commemorated on the wall at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

He left a wife and 3 young children; the family home was given as 124 Hatfield Road, St. Albans. His younger brother, Robert, a Sapper in the Royal Engineers had been in France for 12 months, whilst another, James — having fought in the Battle of the Somme with the Bedfordshire Regiment — was suffering with "nerve shock".

George Edwin

Private 265865, 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds 23rd May 1918. Aged 26. Enlisted Hertford, resident St Albans. Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Howe, of St. Albans; husband of E. D. Howe, of 35, Burnham Rd., St. Albans. Served over 3 years in France. Buried in ST. SEVER CEMETERY EXTENSION, ROUEN, Seine-Maritime, France. Section Q. Plot III. Row F. Grave 19. See also St Albans

Arthur

Private 25568, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 23rd April 1917. Born and resident St Albans, enlisted Bedford. No known grave. Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 5. See also Post Office Memorial and See also St Albans

IZZARD, MM

Arthur Albert

[Listed as Albert on SDGW] Private 4/7118, 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Died in United Kingdom 30th January 1919. Aged 24. Born, resident and enlisted St. Albans. Son of Mr. and Mrs. James Izzard, of 35, Upper Culver Rd., St. Albans. Awarded the Military Medal (M.M.). Buried in ST. ALBANS CEMETERY, Hertfordshire. Military Plot L. Grave 3. See also St Albans

Ernest Walter

Corporal 268052, Hertfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 31st July 1917. Aged 31. Enlisted and resident St Albans. Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Izzard, of 35, Upper Culver Rd., St. Albans; husband of Lily May Izzard, of 33 Kimberley Rd. North, St. Albans, Herts. Formerly 72761, Royal Army Medical Corps. No known grave. Commemorated on YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 54 and 56. See also Post Office Memorial and St Albans

Percy G

Private 2010, Hertfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 13th November 1916. Born, resident and enlisted St Albans. No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 12 C. See also St Albans

Philip

Private 10255, 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 14 November 1914. Born Sandridge, Hertfordshire, enlisted Hertford, resident St Albans. No known grave. Commemorated on YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel 31 and 33. See also St Albans.

Albert [Charles]

Private 20312, 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Died in United Kingdom 17 July 1915. Enlisted and resident St. Albans. Son of Mrs. Eliza Stone, of 10, Pageant Rd., St. Albans. In the 1911 census he was aged 15, son of Charles henry and Eliza Stone, born St. Albans, an Errand Boy at Boots Cash Chemists, resident 65 Albert Street, St Albans,. Buried in ST. ALBANS (HATFIELD ROAD) CEMETERY, Hertfordshire. Plot E. Row A. Grave 18. See also Pageant Road memorial and St Albans.

Leslie James

Private 2007, 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment. Killed in action 11th July 1915. Aged 19. Born, resident and enlisted St Albans. Son of Edward and Emma Tearle, of 49, Culver Rd., St. Albans, Herts. Buried in WOBURN ABBEY CEMETERY, CUINCHY, Pas de Calais, France. Plot I. Row B. Grave 9. See also St Albans.

Frank Walter

Lance Corporal 210901, 63rd Division Signal Company, Royal Engineers. Killed in action 29th September 1918. Aged 20. Born St Pancras, middlesex, enlisted Bedford, resident St Albans. Son of George W. and Clara Wilks, of 60, Boundary Rd., St. Albans. Buried in PROVILLE BRITISH CEMETERY, Nord, France. Plot I. Row C. Grave 46. See also Post Office Memorial and St Albans