300385, Corporal, Albert EAVES
Aged 23
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Born in Newmarket in Q2-1894 [Newmarket 3b:506] to Frederick and Emma EAVES (née LONG) of Cheveley Road, Newmarket.
1901 census... Albert [6] was at Cheveley Road, Newmarket with his father [35], head lad in stables, born Saxmundham; his mother Emma [35] born Barton, Bury St Edmunds, and sister Ethel [13] and brother Frederick [9] born Newmarket. 1911 census...Albert [16] was now a clerk, lodging at 9a St Margaret's Street, Marylebone, London. His parents and brother Frederick were now at Fairlawns, Newmarket, later moving to 57 Sherbrooke Road, Fulham. He had lived in Walton on Thames and enlisted in London |
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The action where Albert was killed was in the area of Glencorse Wood,in the Battle of Langemarck. The 1/5th Bn London Regiment (The London Rifle Brigade) were
on the right Flank of the 56th Divn & were trying to to get through to Polygon Wood with the racecourse there as its objective from the start point of
Surbiton Villas. (Battle of Langemarck; 3rd Ypres); The Battalion met with heavy opposition and were forced back to their starting point by 5pm the same day
(16th). Casualties for the LRB for the 14th-16th August were Officers - 11; other ranks - killed 24, wounded 172, missing 147 totalling 361. There must have been
some confusion at the time as to who died on which day as his medal card recorded 'Accepted as died on 15th'. His body was identified by his diary. Whatever happened to Albert on the 15th was outdone by the following day which was a shambles and the reason given follows:- "G.E. Mackenzie, of 153 Brigade RHA said: "I was shown a report captured from a German dugout in the front line which had been translated and circulated by our GHQ. The night before (August 15th) a sergeant of the Welsh Fusiliers who had been employed as a clerk at GHQ and had been returned to the line for disciplinary purposes had treacherously deserted to the enemy taking with him not only information of tomorrow's attack, but also a copy of a map on which was indicated the position of every battery on that section of the British front." |
Pupils from Newmarket College placed a Poppy Cross at Albert's grave on 14th November 2014
© Roy Beardsworth
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