Hallworth, Albert 1917

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Albert Hallworth. Died 31 July 1917

Albert was born in 1898 in Heckfield , the eldest child of Ruth and William Henry Hallworth. In 1901 the family lived in Waterloo Road and William was a coachman and groom. In 1911 they still lived at number 4 Waterloo Road, Albert was 13 and at school and he had a young brother, George and 2 young sisters, Jessie and Louisa.

Albert enlisted in Wokingham into the 1st battalion, Welsh Guards ( number 3236). The following is an account of the action in which Albert was killed on 31st July 1917:

‘The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards took over trenches near Boesinghe Chateau between 15-19 July 1917, just south of the Ypres canal. From then until the 29th the men were based at Forest Area near Woesten, but provided frequent fatigue parties carrying materials up to the front in anticipation of the opening of the Third Battle of Ypres.

On 29 July the battalion returned to the lines, but as these had been advanced across the canal two days earlier their trenches were now “Baboon Support”, with “Baboon Trench” as a second line behind them. Two companies took up battle positions across the canal on the night of 30 July. The first wave’s objective would be on the far side of “Wood 15”, followed by the second and third waves who were to advance to a point in front of Peuplieres Farm. Other Guards battalions were scheduled to pass through them and continue to beyond Fourche Farm. French troops would likewise advance on the unit’s left flank.

It was a dark and wet morning, the artillery having spent the night aiming to knock out enemy batteries with gas shells. At 3:50am the main barrage against German positions commenced, but the Guards Division’s own barrage was timed for 4:24am, just 200 yards in front of the First Wave of men, who moved to within 50 yards of the explosive curtain. The shellfire crept forward at a steady 25 yards per minute, the troops following, until at Wood 15 they encountered resistance from enemy machine-guns in a solid concrete bunker.

The barrage moved away regardless, so the attackers were delayed until Sergeant Bye single-handedly rushed forward and got behind the bunker, then threw grenades in. The attack carried on towards the second objective, but again machine-guns missed by the barrage at Wood 16 on the left flank held up the attackers until Sgt. Bye once again silenced the bunker. He killed or captured over 70 of the enemy that day and received the Victoria Cross.

The other troops took over from the Welsh Guards, and continued the advance as planned. The battalion meanwhile made its Headquarters at Sauvage Farm on the southern edge of Wood 15, and began to dig in and lay down barbed wire to consolidate their gains. By 3pm the battalion was relieved and went back across the canal to Elverdinghe. It had suffered a total of 3 officers and 135 Other Ranks casualties in this operation’.

Albert’s body was not recovered and his name appears on the Menin Gate in Ypres.