Albert White

War Service

Albert White was Rifleman 49815 in the King’s Liverpool Regiment 5th Battalion when he died on 31st July 1917 and had previously been Private 16963 in the West Riding Regiment. His effects were left to his mother Emma and through that I traced his parents as being Emma and Henry.
Like so many families this one also had to endure the agony of a lack of information as reported in the Wakefield Express of 18th August 1917.
“Private Albert White, King’s Liverpool Regiment, Rose Cottage, Wrenthorpe, has been missing since July 31st. His father died on August 6th and the Vicar of Wrenthorpe (Rev J H Kirk) wrote to the Colonel asking if White could come home on leave, but the Colonel’s reply was that he was missing. Prior to enlisting White worked at Lofthouse Colliery.”
As so often happened confirmation came from an unofficial source according to the paper on 27th October 1917.
“Mrs White of Rose Cottage, Wrenthorpe, mother of Private Albert White, King’s Liverpool Regiment, officially reported missing on July 31st, has received a letter of condolence from one of his chums who had helped to bury him.”
According to the War Diaries of the 1st/5th Battalion they were in the Potijze sector on 31st July and attacked at 3.50am. On that day they lost 26 men with 109 wounded and 45 missing.
Official confirmation was reported on December 15th of the same year.
“Information has been received from the War Office stating that Private Albert White King’s Liverpool Regiment, a single man living at Rose Cottage Wrenthorpe, was killed in action, or died of wounds on or shortly after July 31st last. The delay is regretted and an expression of sympathy with the relatives by the Army Council is given. Official communications as to the soldier’s death have been received by his father and the Vicar (Rev J H Kirk).”
That was an unfortunate error on the part of the paper I believe, as according to the 18th August edition his father had died on the previous 6th August. There was a memorial put in the same paper by his mother which confirmed his age at death as 22 years.
Albert was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His effects were left to his mother Emma. He is remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

Family Life

Albert was born on 25th August 1895 and baptised Albert Edward White on 22nd September 1895 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Horbury.
In 1901 the family were living at Potovens Lane with Henry recorded as a market gardener. Both Albert’s parents and his older sister Lilly who was 14 had been born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, but Albert must have been born after the trek north as he was said to have been born in Horbury. Younger sister Annie was also born in Horbury on 23rd January 1898 and had been baptised Edith Annie at the Methodist Chapel the following April. At that time the family were recorded as living on Cluntergate, Horbury. Baby Florence Victoria was born on 21st January 1901 and baptised at St Anne’s Church, Wrenthorpe on 1st March.
In the 1911 census the family were living in Rose Cottage in Wrenthorpe with father Henry still a market gardener and Albert was now a band spinner in the rope works. Sister Annie was a mill doffer. Emma had given birth to another child Isabel in 1908. According to the census Henry and Emma had had 8 children altogether of which two had already died. I found the names of these two children in the baptism records at St Anne’s. Norman had been born in May 1904 but sadly died aged 1 the following year. Elsie May had been born in March 1906 and died before reaching her first birthday.

Menin Gate Ypres