Albert Boaz Townsend Hart

A Private with the 4th Battalion, Albert died on 24th of March 1918 at the age of 38. 

Albert was born at Lowestoft in 1880, a son of George Henry and Mary Elizabeth Hart. In 1881 his family lived at 2 Fenton Terrace, Raglan Street. By 1891 they were living at 46 Tonning Street, where his father had a shop. In 1901 they were still living at 46 Tonning Street and Albert was a fish packer. Both of Albert’s parents died in 1904. By 1915 Albert was a milk seller at 41 Tonning Street, and is believed to have been employed by John Oldrin of Rushmere.  

Albert enlisted in the Army at Bury St. Edmunds around July 1916. He joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, service number 30484. Around December 1916/January 1917 he was posted to the 4th Battalion in France and joined D Company. 

On 21 February 1917 Albert was admitted to 2 Filed Ambulance suffering from trench foot. He was treated with 500 units of anti-Tetanus serum. The next day he was transferred, via 27 Ambulance Train, to 11 Casualty Clearing Station at Varennes. By March 1918 Albert had recovered and was serving with C Company.

On 21 March 1918, at the beginning of the German offensive, the 4th battalion were in positions between Savy and Etreiller and on 22 March they withdrew to Havrincourt Wood. The next day they retreated through Neuville to Ytres and through to 24 March they continued their withdrawal through Barats to Boulencourt where they remained for two hours before moving again to Bazentin-le-Petit and then to Courcelette. 

There is no information in the battalion war diary or any other source, to explain what happened to Albert, but he was recorded as being missing on 24 March and later presumed to have been killed on, or since, that date. Albert’s sole executor was John Oldrin.