Geburtsdatum: 29/05/1893

Geburtsort: Norwich, Norfolk, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Letzter bekannter Wohnsitz: 122 Gertrude Road, Norwich, Norfolk, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Beruf: Schuhputzer

Land: England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Truppe: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Private

Dienstnummer: T/207026

Einberufung ort: Norwich, Norfolk, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Einheiten:  —  Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), 11th Bn.  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 01/08/1917

Sterbeort: Opaque Wood, Hollebeke, Belgien

Todesursache: Im Kampf gefallen

Alter: 24

British War Medal Medaille

Victory Medal Medaille

Albert Norman Read, a former shoe finisher, was born on the 29th of May 1893 in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He married Lucy Rebecca Lambert in October 1915. On April 9th, 1916, they had a daughter named Phyllis May. Albert‘s sister, Ada, married William Lambert, the brother of his wife. Albert enlisted at Norwich, Norfolk, England. He served as a private in the 11th Battalion The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), part of the 123rd Brigade, of the 41st Division.

On July 31st, 1917, the 11th Battalion The Queen's took part in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. At 3:50 a.m. on that day the 41st Division attacked along the Ypres-Comines Canal. The 122nd Brigade attacked south of the canal near Hollebeke, the 123rd Brigade attacked on the north side. The 11th Battalion The Queen’s were able to capture the first and second objective despite the resistance and bad ground conditions. Before reaching the final objective, they were stopped by a line of concrete bunkers. These German defences hindered the capture of the final objective. Two parties tried to take out these bunkers but failed. The battalion was held up on the second objective and consolidated the line. This line was located about 150 metres in front of the Kasteelhoekstraat near Opaque Wood, southeast of Battle Wood. They held this position until the night between the 1st and 2nd of August, when they were relieved by the 10th Battalion The Queen’s.

Albert, aged 24, was killed in action on August 1st, 1917. Private Read has no known grave and is remembered on panel 13H of the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

11 Battalion Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2638/5). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Verwendete Quellen

123 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters. (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2637/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Verwendete Quellen

Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Verwendete Quellen

McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (London: Arms & Armour Press, 1995) Verwendete Quellen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1625571

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=e6e10672-9744-4a29-92dc-601c250927b5

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3671160