Cpl 16646 Albert James Campbell

• Age: 26
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Sunday 20th August 1916
• Commemorated at: Chocques Mil Cem
  Panel Ref: I.J.76

Albert James Campbell was born 21st March, 1890 in Liverpool and was baptised on the 30th August, 1891 at Emmanuel C. of E. Church, Everton. He was the son of Henry and Maria (née Berry) Campbell who married on the 20th December 1886 at St Mary, Edge Hill. Henry was a 21 year old labourer of 32 Angela St, father Michael a deceased groom, whilst Maria was aged 20 of 199 Smithdown Lane, father Robert a blacksmith. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 64, Gilead Street, Liverpool. His father, Henry, is aged 35 and is a house jobber, his mother, Maria, is aged 35 with no occupation listed. They have six children at the time of the Census, Henry aged 13, Albert James aged 11, Maria aged 8, Ada aged 4, Robert aged 2 and George born in 1901.

The 1911 Census shows the family now living at 65 Claypole Street Liverpool.  His father, Henry, is aged 44, born 1867 is a jobbing builder and was born in Liverpool as was his wife Maria aged 43, born 1868 and all of their children. They have been married for 24 years and have had ten children of which three died. Six of their surviving seven children are at home, Henry aged 23, born 1888 is a plumber, Albert James aged 21, born 1890 is a shop assistant, Maria aged 18, born 1893 is a shop winder, Ada aged 14, born 1897 at home, Robert aged 12, born 1899 and Ernest aged 8, born 1903 are both at school. Younger brother George, aged 10, is a patient in the Cleaver Sanatorium (T.B.) in Heswall, Cheshire.

Albert enlisted in the 18th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Pte 16646, on the 02^nd September 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool and gave his age as 24 years and 165 days, his occupation is declared as a stores clerk. He had already served with R.A.M.C. 2^nd West Lancs Territorial Force for 4 years (time expired). He was described as being five feet three and quarter inches tall, weighed 114lbs, 35" chest, of fresh complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England. His next of kin was his father Henry, of 61 Lightwood Street.

From the 23rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.

09.09.14: Appointed paid Lance Corporal 

09.02.15: Promoted to Corporal.

01-10.05.15: Admitted to Military Hospital with German Measles whilst at Belton Park, Grantham.

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his Battalion.

03.03.16: Eczema and admitted to 3. A.F. 

11.03.16: Resumed duty.

12.05.16: Eczema admitted to 96 F.A. then 97 F. A.

26.05.16: Resumed duty.

18.06.16: Attached to S.S.O. (station staff officer) 30th Division.

09.08.16: Resumed with battalion.

20.08.16: Gunshot wounds to head and right side, admitted to No.1 Casualty Clearing Station where he died of wounds. (Differs from war diary that states “shell”)

The Battalion diary for the 20th August records: 

GIVENCHY (Left)

In Trenches:

Enemy showed somewhat increased artillery & rifle grenade activity. At 4pm a combined bombardment of the enemy salient at A.9 d. 77 took place and was very successful. 

7.50 pm. Enemy sprung a mine (A.9 b. 23) in front of our line. This involved I sap & shook our parapets in places. Our artillery barrage excellent & also our Stokes and Trench mortars, rifle and Lewis Gun fire. Consolidation and occupation of the new crater was at once proceeded with and good observation post secured. Enemy opposition feeble. 

Casualties 3 Killed.

Reconnoitring patrols went out and found nothing special. 

Casualties on 20th Aug.

16646 Corporal A.J.Campbell died of wounds (shell) 

16799 L/Cpl J.Currie killed (rifle bullet) 

23385 Pte G.Hyland killed (mine explosion)

26101 Pte J.Quinn““

32618 Pte S.M.Roe““

11621 Pte A.Rockcliffe““ 

He was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Corporal No 16646 when he died of wounds on the 20th August 1916, aged 26, during the Somme offensive.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 04th September 1916:

Corporal A.J. Campbell, whose parents reside at 61 Lightwood Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool, has died from wounds. Two other sons are serving with the forces, the eldest being in France. In a letter to his parents an officer says:- "He was killed in action whilst conscientiously and bravely doing his duty, as he always did. My loss I feel is almost as great as yours, and I had the greatest faith and confidence in your son, and was about to make him a sergeant. Any duty I gave him to do I knew I never need look into again as I felt sure it would be done, and done well. It may be a little consolation to you to know that your son never suffered, and, though he lived two or three hours after being hit by a shell, he never recovered consciousness.

The two other sons referred to in the article are elder brother Henry Alexander and younger Robert Edward Campbell.

Albert now rests at Chocques Military Cemetery, France.

Chocques was occupied by Commonwealth forces from the late autumn of 1914 to the end of the war. The village was at one time the headquarters of I Corps and from January 1915 to April 1918, No.1 Casualty Clearing Station was posted there. Most of the burials from this period are of casualties who died at the clearing station from wounds received at the Bethune front. From April to September 1918, during the German advance on this front, the burials were carried out by field ambulances, divisions and fighting units. The groups of graves of a single Royal Artillery brigade in Plot II, Row A, and of the 2nd Seaforths in II D, and III A, are significant of the casualties of the 4th Division at that time. The big collective grave in VI A contains the remains of 29 soldiers of the 4th King's Liverpool Regiment killed in a troop train in April 1918. The stone memorial in IA is placed behind the graves of eight men of the 3rd Squadron, RFC, killed in a bomb explosion on the aerodrome at Merville in March 1915. After the Armistice it was found necessary to concentrate into this Cemetery (Plots II, III, IV and VI) a large number of isolated graves plus some small graveyards from the country between Chocques and Bethune. Among the small cemeteries thus removed were:- ANNEZIN Communal Cemetery Extension, a short distance West of Bethune, made by the 3rd Division in April, 1918, which contained 38 graves. LES HARISOIRS British Cemetery, Mont-Bernenchon, 4.8 Kms North East of Chocques, made by the 4th Division in April, 1918, which contained 27 graves. CANAL Cemetery, Les Harisoirs, made by the 4th Division in April, 1918, which contained 17 graves. BOIS-DES-MONTAGNES British Cemetery, Vaudricourt, 3.2 Kms South West of Bethune, made by the 46th Field Ambulance in September, 1915, which contained 8 graves. Chocques Military Cemetery now contains 1,801 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 134 of then unidentified. There are also 82 German war graves, 47 being unidentified. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Soldiers Effects including a War Gratuity of £10 to his  father, Henry, and a pension of 10 shillings per week to his mother, Maria.

His loved ones placed In Memoriam notices in the Evening Express on the first anniversary of his death -

“In ever loving memory of Corpl. A. J. Campbell (our Bert), K.L.R., killed in action August 20, 1916, beloved second son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Campbell, 61 Lightwood Street, Liverpool. (Ever remembered by his loving mother, father, four brothers (Henry in France and Bob in Ireland), sister-in-law and little Lallie.)

We miss our boy, but God alone can tell

How much he missed us when he fell;

Far away from those who loved him best,

Comrades laid him down to rest.

A noble hero, true and brave,

Peacefully sleeps in a soldier’s grave.”

“In ever loving memory of our beloved brother, Corpl. A. J. Campbell (our Bert), K.L.R., killed in action August 20, 1916. (Ever remembered by his loving sisters Marie and Ada, and Horace in Egypt.)

Our sorrow was great, our loss hard to bear,

God knows we have lost a fond brother’s care;

We mourn him and miss him in silence unseen,

And dwell on the memories of days that have been.”

Soldiers Effects, army pay of £5 13s 3d and War Gratuity of £10 to his  father, Henry, and a pension of 10 shillings per week to his mother, Maria.

Albert earned his three medals.

His mother died aged 56 in 1922 at 147 Mill Road (Infirmary), and was buried on the 15th March 1922 at Walton Park Cemetery.

His father died aged 59 in 1925 at Hahnemann Hospital, Hope Street, and was buried on the 18th February also at Walton Park Cemetery. 

Bert is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panels 10 Left and 11 Right 

Liverpool Gas Company 

Liverpool Presbytery, Earle Road, Edge-Hill, Liverpool 

His mother appears to have died in 1922, aged 56, and his father, at age 59, in 1925.

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