Name
Albert John Clapham
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/05/1917
37
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
14149
Bedfordshire Regiment
"B" Company, 7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Waterford Village War Memorial, Roll of Honour, St Michael’s & All Angels Church, Waterford, Not on the Bengeo memorials
Pre War
Albert was born on the 22nd June 1881, in Waterford, Herts and baptised on the 7th August 1881, in St Michael’s & All Angels Church - the son of James Clapham and Emma Clapham (nee Craft). He was one of nine children.
The 1891 census records Albert, aged 9, at school, living with his parents, 3 brothers and sister Florence 7, in Waterford Common, Waterford, Herts. 1901 Census records albert aged 19, living with his parents, 3 brothers and sister Emily 6, in Waterford, Herts. His occupation is given as a Teamster on farm and 1911 Census records Albert aged 29, living with his parents, 2 brothers George and William, in Waterford Common, Waterford, Herts. His occupation is given then as a farm labourer.
Wartime Service
Albert enlisted in Hertford and joined ‘B’ Company, 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment with the service number 14149. They Battalion went to France on 26th July 1915, and Albert joined them on the 17th August of that year
In 1916 they were in action on the Somme at the Battle of Albert, Delville Wood, and Thiepval, and the Ancre Heights. The following year they fought during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Third Battle of the Scarpe. On 3rd May the division attacked Cherisy, they were due to go in at 0315, but it was too dark and so the attack was put back until 0415, when they advanced, they could barely see each other. The regt. on their right lost direction and moved into the line the 7th Battalion were taking, causing a lot of confusion, as did four tanks that were supposed to be helping. The enemy wire was thick and unbroken by the artillery barrage, and they came under heavy machine gun fire, when the regiment to their right started to fall back some of the Bedfordshires did too. Some troops held out for most of the day until the evening when they all fell back to their start line, Albert was wounded in the action and died later.
Additional Information
His personal inscription on the headstone reads: “Son of James and Emma Clapham, of Waterford Common, Waterford, Hertford”.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne, Terry & Glenis Collins
