Pte 5440 Albert Reginald Worsley

• Age: 19
• From: Marylebone London
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 13th September 1916
• Commemorated at: Gorre Brit Cem, Beuvry
  Panel Ref: III.A.13

Albert Reginald was born 9th July 1897 at Marylebone, London and was baptised 3rd August 1897 at St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, Westminster, London. He was the son of Henry Thomas and Elizabeth Worsley (nee Baker) of 51, Bacham St., North Kensington, London. Albert Reginald was educated at Moberley School from 26th August 1901.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 15, Southam Street, Kensington, London. His father, Henry Thomas, is aged 33, born in Marylebone, Middlesex in 1868 is a zinc worker, his mother, Elizabeth, is aged 32, born 1869 and has no occupation listed. was also born in Marylebone. At the taking of the Census they have five children living with the family; Frederick aged 10, born 1891, Lillie aged 8, born 1893, Ethel aged 6, born 1895, Albert aged 3, born 1898 Violet aged 1, born 1900. 

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at 15, Southam Street, Kensington, London. His father ,Henry Thomas, is aged 42,(Census now showing born in 1869) is an out of work zinc worker and his mother, Elizabeth, is aged 41,(now showing born in 1870) and has no occupation listed. They have been married for twenty one years and have had six children. At the taking of the Census they have five children living with them, Lillie aged 18, is a tailoress, Ethel May aged 16,is an errand girl, Albert aged 14, Violet aged 11 and Dorothy aged 7 are all at school. 

Prior to his enlistment Albert was living at 24 Thompson Road, Seaforth.

He enlisted in the 1/7th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment at Bootle on 17th November 1915. He gave his age on his enlistment paper as 18 years and 8 months, within hours he was having a medical and his age was then recorded as 19 years and 3 months. Presumably his age had changed in order for him to be able to serve overseas. He is described as being 5ft 3 and 3/4 inches tall.  He sailed to France from Folkestone  with the 1/7th Battalion on 23rd July 1916 arriving at Boulogne the same day. He was then sent to Etaples on 24th July 1916.

He transferred to the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment and was killed in action on 13th September 1916.
This occurred during a Trench raid. The raiding party were trying to discover the German unit holding the line opposite them. The party was discovered and engaged. Albert was one of four men killed, the others being Lieutenant Richard Glyn Lloyd, CSM Edward Concannon and Private Thomas Jordan.

Albert now rests at Gorre British Cemetery, Beuvry, France.

Gorre British and Indian Cemetery

The chateau at Gorre was occupied early in the war by troops serving with the British Expeditionary Force and the Indian Corps, and the cemeteries, located in the south-east corner of original the chateau grounds, were begun in the autumn of 1914. The Indian section of the cemetery was closed in October 1915, shortly before the Indian infantry divisions left France for redeployment to the Middle East.

Many of those who now lie in plots V and VI of the British section of the cemetery were killed during the Battle of Estaires in April 1918. There are now over 930 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated here. The cemetery, which was designed by Charles Holden, also contains nine war graves of other nationalities, most of them German.

Gorre Chateau during the First World War

For much of the war, the chateau stood approximately four kilometres behind a section of the British front-line that ran northward along the Aubers Ridge from Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée to Festubert. From the end of the Battle of Festubert in May 1915 until the spring of 1918, this was considered a relatively ‘quiet’ sector. The village of Gorre was occasionally bombarded by German artillery during this period, but the chateau remained intact and its rooms were used as an officer’s mess and headquarters for British units stationed in the area. The grounds of the chateau were also the site of several artillery emplacements, a rifle range and an improvised parade ground and football pitch. Throughout 1916 and ’17 British troops could be seen drilling in the fields next to the chateau or unloading supplies from barges on the La Bassée Canal, which runs just south of the village.

The British section of the cemetery was used by infantry and artillery units stationed in the area until April 1918, when the relative quiet of the sector was shattered by the German Spring Offensive and Gorre became a support post close behind the front line during the Battle of Estaire. This battle was one of two massive German assaults on the Commonwealth positions from Ypres to Festubert that became known as the Battle of the Lys. When the battle erupted on 9 April, the 55th (West Lancashire) Division occupied the front-line trenches running north from Givenchy to Richebourg L’Avoué. The Allied positions to their left, around the village of Le Touret, were held by Portuguese units.

After a preliminary artillery bombardment that began on the evening of 7 April the German Sixth Army, spearheaded by storm troops, attacked in force early on the morning of the 9th. Heavy mist enabled the attackers to get very close to the Allied lines before they were observed and Portuguese units suffered heavy casualties and began to retire. Further south, the various formations of the 55th Division were hard pressed from the outset and the front line trenches around Givenchy were the scene of fierce fighting between British and German troops. The divisional brigade holding the northern section of the British line was forced to pull back, but well-organised counter-attacks and determined defence elsewhere enabled the 55th Division to hold its ground for the rest of the battle and prevent a major German breakthrough. Fighting continued in the trenches east of Gorre until 17 April when the German forces finally broke off the attack. In just over a week of fighting almost 3,000 officers and men of the Division had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, but the territory over which they had fought remained in Allied hands.

His personal belongings were sent to his sister, who was at this time Mrs Ethel May Newman of 448 Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, London.

We currently have no further information on Albert Reginald Worsley, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.