Albert Williams

Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial

Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 25112

Parents: Thomas and Emily Williams, stepmother Elizabeth

Home address: Rag Factory Lane, Bryants Hill, St. George, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Assistant Butcher

Date of birth: 1896

Place of birth: Hanham, Bristol

Date of death: 23/07/1916

Buried/Commemorated at: No known burial site but commemorated at Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France

Age: 20

Further information:

Albert was born in Hanham, the son of a bootmaker and the second youngest of eight children with two sisters and five brothers. His father and brothers worked in the boot industry, whilst his mother and sisters worked in corset manufacturing. His mother died when he was eight years old, his father remarried and Albert gained a stepsister.

On 1st July 1916, The Battle of the Somme commenced when 13 divisions of Commonwealth forces, including the 8th Glosters, launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Preliminary bombardment lasted seven days, but German defences were barely touched and there was unexpected fierce resistance. This resulted in catastrophic losses over the following 12 weeks until Thiepval, the original objective, was finally captured. Albert was killed during this fighting and was one of 620,000 casualties.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who have no known grave and over 90% of whom lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/