7980 Pte George John Albrecht, 8th Royal Fusiliers

Soldiers Died in the Great War notes that 2140 men died on 7th July 1916 and George John Albrecht was one of these.

There is conflicting information regarding George's military service. Soldiers Died in the Great War records his number as 7980 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment. This cannot possibly be correct because 0nly the 1st four (City of London) battalions of the London Regiment were affiliated to the Royal Fusiliers and the 8th Battalion was the Post Office Rifles.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records George's battalion as 8th Royal Fusiliers but it is his medal index card which records the vital information. It notes two numbers for him: SR/7980 and 7980 and also records the fact that he entered the Balkans on 25th September 1915.

The SR/ prefix, denoting Special Reserve, effectively rules out all of the London Regiment battalion which, being Territorial Force formations, had no Special Reserve. That leaves two possibilities for the Royal Fusiliers - either the 5th (Special Reserve) Battalion, which would have issued number 7980 around the beginning of June 1908 or the 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion which would have issued the same number in early 1913.

SDGW notes that George was born in Lambeth, was living at Vauxhall (both of these places in south London) and enlisted at Finsbury (north London). The 1901 census, in turn, reveals one George J Albrecht, aged eight, born in Lambeth and living in Lambeth. The household comprised George M Albrecht (head, aged 37, a tile cutter), his wife Mary A Albrecht (aged 32) and their five children: George (aged 8), Mary A Albrecht (aged 6) William A Albrecht (aged 5), Edward S W Albrecht (aged 3), and Frederick A B Albrecht (aged 1). All the children, and their parents were born in Lambeth.

George' age in 1901 rules out 1908 as a year of enlistment which, by default, means that he must have joined up with the 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion in early 1913. This battalion was also located in Finsbury which is where (as Soldiers Died tells us) George enlisted.

When Britain went to war the following year, George must have been posted to another battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and then sailed for the Balkans. The 7th Battalion did go overseas - but not until July 1916 - and the 8th Battalion - with which he was killed - did not go to the Balkans. It arrived in France in May 1915 and stayed there until it was disbanded in February 1918.

George has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (Medal index card, 1901 census)
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
The Long, Long Trail