Name
Albert Victor Scraggs
1897
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
24/04/1918
21
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
82689
Royal Fusiliers *1
2/2nd (City of London) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
POZIERES MEMORIAL
Panel 19 to 21.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial
Pre War
Albert Victor Scraggs was born in Islington, London in 1897, the son of Henry and Annie Scraggs, and one of six children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living in Cumberland Street, Islington where his father was working as a Railway Porter for Great Northern Railways at Kings Cross station.
His father died in 1908, age 47 and on the 1911 Census, Albert was living with his widowed mother and siblings at 9 Offord Road, Barnsbury, Islington. London, at which time he was a 13 year old schoolboy. He left school in 1911 and later came to Hemel Hempstead, where he lived at 3 Glenview Gardens, Hammerfield with widow Alice Campbell and her family, whose son William (born William Kelly) died a few months after Albert.
His mother later lived at 94, Sydney Road, Hornsey, London.
Wartime Service
Albert volunteered in June 1915 as soon as he turned eighteen and enlisted in Holloway, initially with the 21st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment under reg. no. 15367. He was sent for basic training at Aldershot, Hants and left from Southampton on SS Caesarea bound for Le Havre on 4 June 1916.
The Battalion was based initially near Loos where Albert saw action in the trenches, being engaged in trench repair and training, when not on the frontline. In early 1917 it is believed he may have suffered from illness as he was away from the Battalion for seven months and when he returned he was posted to the 12th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. He then saw serious action at the Third Battle of Ypres, otherwise known as Passchendaele.
In April 1918, Albert was again transferred, this time to the 2/2nd (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers) which was being reorganised following heavy losses. He joined them on 6 April and was in action two weeks later in the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, part of the German Spring Offensive. On 24 April 1918 he was listed as missing and later confirmed as killed in action, age 21. He has no known grave but his name is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £16 10s and pay owing of £11 15s 11d.
*1 More correctly London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk., www.hemelheroes.com
