Name
A Birch *1
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary’s Church Memorial Book, Hitchin
Additional Information
*1 We do not yet have sufficient information to positively identify this man. He is reputed to have served in the Royal Engineers. In the ‘Soldiers died’ database there is an Albert Edward Burch born in Bisley in Surrey but there is no obvious connection with Hitchin. He enlisted in St. Pancras in London as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers with the Corps Number 155246. At the time he was killed in action in France on the 6th May 1917 aged 32 years, he was serving with the ‘Z’ Special Company, Royal Engineers. He was the son of Mr and Mrs Charles Burch of Oxford and the husband of E.M. Humphreys (formerly Burch) of 16, Cressida Rd, Highgate, London. He is remembered on the Special Memorial A3 in the Beaulencourt British Cemetery at Ligny-Thilloy in France. In the remainder of ‘Soldiers died’ database there are two other 'Albert Burch's’, but neither of them can be identified as having an association with Hitchin. The records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission were unable to identify him positively. The Medal Rolls in the Public Record Office mention only one Albert Burch who was born in Streatham in Surrey, enlisted in London and was a resident of West Norwood. He was a Private with the Regimental Number 1505 in the 9th Battalion of tile East Surrey Regiment and was killed in action on the 9th January 1916 having arrived in France on the 31st August 1915. He was buried in Plot 1, Row B, Grave 7 in the Menin Road South Military Cemetery in Belgium. He was entitled to the 1915 Star, British War and Victory Medals but no connection has been established with Hitchin.
