Name
Albert George Sage
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/03/1917
32
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
23980
Northamptonshire Regiment
6th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
BOULOGNE EASTERN CEMETERY
VIII. A. 192.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Abbots Langley Village Memorial, St. Lawrence Church Memorial, Abbots Langley, Not on the Leverstock Green memorials
Biography
Albert Sage died of wounds received during the Battle of Boom Ravine on the Somme on 17th February 1917. Albert was wounded in the battle and was evacuated to the 13th General Hospital at Boulogne where he died on 9th March 1917. Lewis Ashby another Abbots Langley man died in the same action.
Albert was born at Leverstock Green on16th September 1885, one of seven children of George and Emma Sage. George was a General Farm Labourer and the family was living at Woodside, Leavesden at the time of the 1901 Census. Albert had two sisters and four brothers, two of whom, Leonard and Arthur, served in the Great War. Arthur was commemorated on the Leavesden Roll of Honour. By the time of the 1911 Census Albert was living in Asylum Road, and working as a Gardener. He married Nora Carpenter in July 1910 and the couple’s first child, Nora Joan was born on 25th August 1914.
He had attested on 25th November 1915 and was immediately transferred to the Army Reserve. At this point he gave his occupation as a Groom and was still living in Asylum Road, Abbots Langley. On 1st June 1916 he enlisted to the Northampton Regiment in London, having had a Medical at the Central London Recruiting Depot in Whitehall on the previous day. He was posted to France on 28th September 1916 with 6th Battalion Northampton Regiment. Throughout the bitterly cold winter of 1916/17 the 6th Northampton’s spent much of the time in billets behind the lines on the Somme. The battalion moved into the Front Line trenches near Aveluy on 15th January 1917, and then were in and out of the Line until mid-February. At 01.00 on the morning of 17th February the battalion was brought up to the Reserve Trenches in preparation for an attack on the German lines at Boom Ravine. The Northampton’s were in position by 04.30 and suffered many casualties from heavy shelling whilst they awaited “Zero Hour” at 05.45. On reaching the enemy lines they found that the wire was largely uncut, and were savagely mauled by machine gun fire and trench mortars. Albert received a gun-shot wound to his stomach in this action which also took the life of Lewis Ashby (also 6th Northampton’s) from Abbots Langley.
The Abbots Langley Parish Magazine of April 1917 recorded “Our long list of those who have yielded their bodies a willing sacrifice has an additional name. Albert Sage of the Northants Regiment, died of wounds in France on March 9th. He was wounded at the same time as Lewis Ashby, whose death was recorded last month, He leaves a wife and little daughter to mourn his loss, and they will, we are convinced, receive the sympathy and prayers of us all.”
In January 1919 the Parish Magazine noted “By some unfortunate mistake the name of Albert Sage was omitted from the Roll of Honour of those who have fallen in the war in last month's Magazine. The entry should be – ‘Albert Sage, Northants Regiment. Died of wounds in France, March 9th, 1917"’
On 4th September 1917 Albert’s wife Nora was awarded a War Pension of 18 shillings and 9 pence. A week later Albert’s possessions were despatched to his wife – 3 coins, 1 farthing coin, letters, photos, two purses, two pipes and a Testament.
Albert was buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery as were George Martindale and John Owen from Abbots Langley, and was commemorated on the Abbots Langley War Memorial.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
