from Nowhere eventually to France - and back

On March 2nd 1915, Albert's battalion, the territorial 5th Bn S Staffs, was posted to France. The battalion embarked th "Empress Queen" at Southampton and arrived Le Havre the next day. His stay in France was remarkably short-lived, at least for the time-being. His service record shows that he fell sick "in the field". He was transferred by ambulance to the RawalPindi British Hospital at Wimereux on 12th March and was invalided back to England on 15th March.

Perhaps that was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him. The battalion was sent to the Ypres Salient, "Wipers" as the Tommies called it. It became a dreaded word.

Extracts from the war diary of the 5th S Staffs shows that they were involved in serious fighting in Belgium during 1915.

Albert would not return to France and Flanders until 1917, when he would fight in the battle for Passchendaele.