Name
Albert Edward Negus
1891
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
07/02/1917
25
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
8384
Norfolk Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
BAGHDAD (NORTH GATE) WAR CEMETERY
Angora Mem. 121.
Iraq
Headstone Inscription
THY WILL BE DONE
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin
Pre War
Albert was born in 1891, but various sources give his birth location as Melbourn, Cambs or Northall near Royston, Herts – this maybe Northall Farm near Heydon, Cambs (his service records). However he was christened on 8 March 1891 in St Nicholas Church, Little Chishall. His parents were James and Mary Negus (née West) and he was their youngest son.
In 1891 the family were living at Barley Road, Great Chishall, Cambs., Hitchin. Present were both parents: James (41) and Mary (41), with James working as an agricultural labourer. Their children were: William (19), Agnes (13), Frederick (11), Bertha (9), Nellie (6), George D (3) and Albert Edward (3 months).
By 1901 the family were living at St Ippolyts, near Hitchin. Present were both parents and children George (12), Albert (10) and Emily (6). James was now working as a railway labourer.
Albert worked for Paternoster & Hales of Market Place, Hitchin, a printer and bookbinder company, as a book binders porter from 8 January to 16 June 1906.
Albert attested on 3 June 1908 as 5990 4th Bedford Regiment (an ‘Extra Reserve’ Battalion, and a training unit) at that time he was recorded as 18 years and 6 months old, born in Melbourn, Cambs., and living in Flint Cottage, High Street, Offley. He was described as 5’ 7” tall and 130 lbs, with a 33” chest and 30” waist, brown eyes and hair. When he enlisted his next of kin was his father living at High Street, Offley.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal 14 June 1908 – which seems very early in his service and remained so until 12 June 1909, then to Corporal on 23 May 1910 – it is not clear what rank he help between the 1909 and 1910 dates.
He became ‘non effective’ on 25 February 1911 by reason of him joining the Regular Army. He had been on ‘Home’ service with them between 14 June 1908 and 24 February 1911.
Albert attested into the 1st Norfolk Regiment on 25 February 1911 as Private 8384. At that time he had been a farm labourer at Austage End Farm, King’s Walden for Thomas Day, but that employment had ceased as the farmer “Could not fine(sic) him employment.” and perhaps that was his reason to enlist into the Regular Army. He was medically examined on 27 February 1911 and then he was described as 22 years and 2 months, 5’ 8” tall and 145 lbs, with brown eyes, black hair and a sallow complexion.
He joined the 1st Bn. Norfolk Regiment at Aldershot on 1 March 1911.
In the 1911 census which was completed on 8 April 1911, Albert was found in the 1st Norfolks at Connaught Military Hospital, Medical Officer's Quarters, Marlborough Lines, Aldershot, having been admitted to hospital for reasons relating to varicose veins.
He was appointed unpaid Lance Corporal on 1 June 1911.
On 20 August 1911, he was severely reprimanded for leaving camp without permission and then on 24th was stripped of his Lance Corporal stripe for making an improper reply to an N.C.O.
He received a 3rd Class Certificate of Education on 29 September 1911.
He was examined for active service on 8 January 1912 and found to be fit.
In summary, Albert as on ‘Home’ service 13 February 1911 to 13 February 1912, in India from 14 February 1912 and was posted to the 2nd Bn. on that date.
Officially he was recorded as born Welbourne, Herts (sic Melbourn, Cambs). and enlisting in Hitchin, Herts.
Wartime Service
Albert was in India when war was declared and on 18 August 1914 he was recorded at having been ‘Acting Drummer for the last year and “A good tenor”. He was in Belgaum, India on 14 September 1914 when he re-examined and recorded as medically fit for service.
He was allotted to the Indian Expeditionary Force on 6 November 1914 and embarked from Bombay on the 7th and disembarked in Iraq (at Bawijth?) on the 15th, officially the start of his overseas service in the Mesopotamia campaign.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal ‘unpaid’ on 20 May 1915 and then to paid on 21 July 1915.
He was admitted to a hospital in Amara on 1 September 1915 with diarrhoea and was not discharged until the 11th. He was admitted to 106 Field Hospital in El Kutine? on 7 November 1915 with malaria. From there he was transferred to No 1 Field Hospital at Agigijah? on 10 November.
Albert was at the Siege of Kut, also known as the First battle of Kut, when the British Army garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, was the besieged by the Ottoman Army, between 7 December 1915 and 29 April 1916. After destroying what was left of their weapons and ammunition, the British surrendered 13,309 men, including 6 generals and 476 officers, on 29 April 1916.
Albert was reported as taken prisoner of war here and was one of the survivors of the siege who were marched to imprisonment at Aleppo.
On 7 February 1917 it was reported that he had died of typhoid fever in a Turkish hospital in Adara (this may have been Kut el Amara) while a prisoner of war at Angora. His mother was notified on 14 March 1918.
He has no known grave, but is remembered on the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery Angora Memorial 121 in Iraq.
He has entries on both the National Roll of the Great War and De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour.(*1)
Additional Information
After his death pay owing was £42 14s 9d and was divided as follows: £5 6s 11d to his mother, Mary Negus, then £5 6s 10d each to brothers Frederick and William and sisters Agnes, Bertha, Nellie, Emily and sister-in-law Constance – all authorised on 24 September 1918. Later, a war gratuity of £14 10s was authorised to be paid to his mother on 31 October 1919.
Oddly, there is another, separate entry recording another authorised to Mary on 29 October 1918.
On the 14 June 1919 his mother Mary Negus, submitted a statement listing his siblings. At that time she was living at 1 Taylor’s Cottages, Old North Road, Hitchin.
His mother was sent his personal possessions on 24 September 1918. Received his 1914/15 Star (medal) on 3 December 1920 and his British War and Victory medals on 3 December 1921.
His pension cards also mention his brother, who died, George, and record their mother, as their dependant and living at 1 Taylors Cottages, Old Park Road, Hitchin. She was awarded a pension of 12s 6d a week from 29 April 1918 to 15 July 1919. This appears to have been renewed until 15 July 1920, but there is no information after that. At some later date the address was updated to !3 Dacre Road, Hitchin.
His mother Mrs. M Negus, of 13, Duere(sic Dacre) Rd., Hitchin, Herts., ordered his headstone inscription: “THY WILL BE DONE”.
His father had died by the time of Albert's death and his brother, George who lived in Offley, was killed a few weeks before Albert and does not appear on the Hitchin memorials.
*1 Albert has entries in both the De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour and the National Roll of the Great War. These entries were normally placed by family members using what they knew and are not always 100% correct. In Albert’s case it appears he has one entry in the former and two in the latter. One under A Negus and one under A E Negus. The information in the latter seems to be substantially correct, but the former contains errors in rank, overseas service and date of death, normally we would conclude that they were different men, but in this case we have believe that they are for the same man, our reasoning is as follows:
- The different Hitchin addresses given each, both apply to A E Negus’ mother and or his family.
- Analysing the CWGC data for those who died. We can find no other Negus in the Norfolk Regiment – not even with different initials, no other A Negus (of any regiment or with any other initial(s)) dying in June 1918 in Iraq or in any other country.
Acknowledgments
Derry Warners
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
