Name
Cuthbert Victor Way Albone
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
13/11/1916
20
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
5949
Hertfordshire Regiment
4 Coy.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 12 C.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, Stevenage Old Town Memorial, St Nicholas' Church Memorial, Stevenage Old Town, Holt Trinity Church Memorial Roll of Honour, Stevenage Old Town, Walkern Village Memorial, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Cuthbert was born in Biggleswade circa 1897, the son of George Balls& Elizabeth Albone who later lived in the High Street, Walkern. Prior to the outbreak of the Great War he had worked in Stevenage as a Farm Labourer and employed by Miss Cotton Browne of Walkern Hall.
In 1901 they were living near St Andrews Church in Biggleswade, his father working as a carpenter and the children were Gilbert Way (13), Grace Way (11), Gertrude Ann (9) and Cuthbert Victor (4).
By 1911 they had moved to High St, Walkern, Stevenage, Herts. present were both parents, with George now, assurance agent, also present were children: Gertrude and Cuthbert who was working as a farm labourer. George and Elizabeth had been married for 27 years, had 6 children of whom 2 had died.
His home was in Walkern and he enlisted there.
Wartime Service
His Regimental number was 5949. He was killed in action only three weeks after he had arrived in France.
The 1st Herts were part of the 118th Brigade of the 39th Division in II Corps of the 5th Army at the time of his death. This was the Battle of the Ancre, an attempt by General Sir Hubert Gough to reduce the Beaumont Hamel Salient that had hitherto resisted all assaults.
The Herts were on the right of the Brigade and assembled at the Schwaben Redoubt just north of Thiepval. Their first objectives were some enemy strongpoints about 200 yards in front of the Redoubt, the so-called Hansa Line of trenches and the final objective the junction of Mill Trench and the Hansa Line, a total advance of about 1,200 yards. Zero hour was at 5.45am it was still dark and a heavy mist hung over the battlefield, the going was heavy with the ground honeycombed with shell holes. The four companies of the battalion reached the first objective and this was soon taken, with many German soldiers being killed or captured. The No.4 Company, despite much confusion and many difficulties, managed to work up the Hansa Line and, supported by the other companies, succeeded in taking the entire line and some of Mill Trench, the final objective, by 7.20 am. Despite heavy shelling and some determined counter attacks the battalion managed to hold onto and consolidate their position but suffered many casualties in doing so. The rest of the day was spent consolidating the position, constructing a redoubt at the junction of Mill Trench and the Hansa Line and beating off counter attacks. A splendid achievement, but at a cost of over 150 men killed and wounded.
It is uncertain at what point Cuthbert Albone was killed but his body was never recovered and is lost on the battlefields of the Somme. He has no known grave, but is remembered on Pier/Face 12C of the great Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Somme, France.
Additional Information
His elder brother, Gilbert, had been killed in the Somme sector a few months earlier and his name also appears on the Walkern village war memorial.
After his death £2 11s 2d was authorised to go to his mother and later a war gratuity of £3 was paid to her.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild
Paul Johnson, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
