2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
Albert Edward Witts (born 1887) was the second of five children born to Charles Frederick and Sarah Ann Witts.
The family were living at Haresfield at the time of the 1891 Census which stated that Albert had been born at Wheatenhurst. Charles was born nearby at Standish and Sarah at Huntley.
Charles’ occupation was ‘labourer’ on Albert’s baptism record of 19 June 1887.
By the 1891 Census Charles’ occupation was general labourer at the gas works.
Thomas, the youngest child was born in 1899, the year his father died aged 34.
Sarah remarried on 13 February 1901. Her new husband was Alfred Mortimer whose occupation was stoker at the gas works. The family were now living at Marshfield, Whaddon. Sarah and Alfred had two sons born in 1904 and 1906.
Albert married Stella Coldrick who was two years his senior at St Paul’s Church, Gloucester on Christmas Eve 1907. Their address on the marriage register was Tuffley Lane and Albert’s occupation, ‘platelayer’.
There is a photo of Albert on Ancestry (added in 2016) showing Albert in the uniform of the Midland Railway Company. On the 1911 Census, Albert and Stella were living at Lower Tuffley Lane, Gloucester.
Albert listed his occupation as ‘Gateman’ railway company in the passenger department.
Unfortunately no Army Service Record for Albert has survived. However, information contained in his Medal Index Card, Medal Roll, Register of Soldier’s Effects and some surviving pages from his Army Pension Record do enable us to build up a probable picture of his service.
According to the Pension Record he originally attested on 9 December 1903 and this could have been into the Militia (rather like a Home Guard), as a part time soldier, who recruited at a younger age than the Regular Army.
The Militia went into decline, following the Army reforms of 1908 and various Reserve units were formed. It is possible that Albert belonged to one of these and he re-enlisted at the start of the Great War. The fact that he was allocated a comparatively low service number (7352) and was posted to a regular battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, the 2nd, lends credence to this.
Albert went to France on 1 April 1915, probably as a part of a reinforcement draft. At the end of November 1915 the 2nd Battalion transferred to the Salonika front, arriving on 12 December, to take their place as part of 81 Brigade, 27 Division.
The Salonika front was notorious for the high level of sickness amongst the troops due to malaria. It seems likely that Albert’s sickness with malaria caused him to be re-patriated to the UK at some point and he was medically downgraded as no longer fit for front line service and posted to the Labour Corps (where he was allocated the number 598741). Albert was awarded a pension having been assessed as being 80% disabled and having suffered with malaria.
Stella received a payment of £42 1s 3d upon his death.
Albert died aged 31 or 32 of malaria at the Red Cross Hospital in Great Western Road, Gloucester on 17 February and he was buried at Whaddon (St Margaret) Churchyard on 22 February 1919.
Albert originally had a family headstone which included his Mother who died in 1935.
By 2011, this headstone had been replaced with a CWGC one which included details of his mother as before.
I contacted a neighbour who attends Whaddon Church to ask if she knew of any family as it appeared that the grave was being attended. The neighbour was quite sure that she knew of someone but the vicar stated that the process to replace the headstone had started three years earlier but neither the church nor CWGC could trace any relatives.
Stella remarried in March 1921 — her new husband being Walter Davis. She died in 1948.
The Pension Record makes mention of a Thomas Alfred Coldrick as being a dependent child and the pension authorities stated ‘verify child’ in the award instructions. According to information contained in a public member tree on Ancestry Albert and Stella unofficially adopted him and brought him up, having no biological children together.
There is a copy of ‘in memoriam’ from The Citizen newspaper of 17 February 1921 on Ancestry from Stella and from Albert’s brother Thomas on the second anniversary of Albert’s death.
Research by Helen Wollington 23 February 2017
