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Albert Roberts

Information about birth

Army information

Country:
England, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
59068
Enlistment place:
Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), 1/5th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
11/03/1918
Place of death:
Zonnebeke Château Grounds, Zonnebeke, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
19

Cemetery

Perth Cemetery (China Wall)
Plot: V
Row: A
Grave: 19

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 3

#1 Place of birth
#2 Enlistment place
#3 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Walter Roberts was born in 1899 in Featherstone, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. He was the son of John Roberts. He enlisted in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. He served in the 1/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own), part of the 146th (West Riding) Brigade of the 49th (West Riding) Division.

The Battalion was positioned near Broodseinde Ridge, from November 7, 1918 onwards, and provided working parties. On November 10, the Battalion was detailed to collect sufficient barbed wire and pickets for 1000 yards of double-apron fence, during which they were heavily shelled. On November 11, the Battalion provided working parties as the previous days. It was a fairly quiet day with only slight shelling. The Battalion was relieved in the evening.

Walter, aged 19, was killed in action on March 11, 1918. Private Roberts was initially buried where he fell, near Zonnebeke Lake (28.D.28.a.40.50). After the war, his remains were exhumed and reinterred in the Perth China Wall Cemetery, Plot V, Row A, Grave 19.

Sources 3

1/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2794/1).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sources used
War Office: Soldiers’ Documents, First World War (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 363).
https://www.ancestry.com/
Sources used

More information 3