Name
Albert Woodward
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
21/03/1918
27
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Corporal
30002
Royal Garrison Artillery
120th Siege Battery
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
POZIERES MEMORIAL
Panel 10
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Sarratt Village Memorial, Holy Cross Church Memorial, Sarratt, Not on the Croxley Green memorials, Not on the Watford memorials
Pre War
Son of William and Jessie (nee HAYLOCK) WOODWARD; husband of Emily Louisa (nee PAYNE) WOODWARD of Millwall, London.
His parents married 1887 in the Watford district. Jessie died 1923 in Watford aged 55, and was buried 12 September at Holy Cross, Sarratt, Herts; William died 1929 in Sarratt aged 72, and was buried 20 August, also at Holy Cross.
Albert was born 24 January 1891 in Croxley Green, Herts, and baptised 5 April 1891 at All Saints, Croxley Green. He attended Beechen Grove Board School, Watford, from 29 August 1898 to 8 November 1901; then Alexandra School, Watford, from 11 November 1901 to 7 February 1902; then Callowland Board School, Watford, from 5 February 1902 to 28 January 1904, and from 30 August 1904 to 19 January 1905. He married 21 October 1917 at Christ Church, Poplar, London. He resided in Watford. Emily never remarried, she died 1954 in Watford aged 58, and was buried 20 January in Vicarage Road Cemetery, Watford.
On the 1891 Census, aged 2 months he lived in Croxley Green, with his parents and one sibling. On the 1901 Census, aged 10 he lived in Watford, with his parents and three siblings. On the 1911 Census, a Gunner with No. 54 Company Royal Garrison Artillery aged 20, he was stationed at Casemates, Gibraltar.
In
1917 Albert married Emily L Payne in Poplar. They had no children. Emily never
remarried and in 1939 was living 9 Ebury Road, Watford.
Officially recorded as born in Croxley Green, Nr Watford and was living in Watford when he enlisted in Bedford.
Wartime Service
His medal record states that he went to France on the 8th of March 1915 and that he was awarded the 1915 Star. Other records suggest that 120th Siege Battery (his unit at death) did not enter France until the 14th of July 1916, so he presumably transferred to them at some point.
The movements of the 120th have not yet been traced, but it is known that it was in action at the Battle of St Quentin 21st to 23rd of March 1918, so it is likely that it was there that Albert was killed in action. St Quentin was one of the first actions in the German 1918 Spring Offensive, Operation Michael. At 0435 on the 21st German artillery began to shell British positions southwest of St Quentin while at 0440 a bombardment along a 40-mile front began. Over 3,500,000 shells were fired in 5 hours covering an area of 150 square miles. An infantry assault began at 0940. Thus began one of the worst days in the history of the British army.
Acknowledgments
Malcolm Lennox, Mike Collins, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH online via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
