Biography of Private Albert Edward Whitethread (TR5/74304)
88th Battalion Training Reserve Regiment
Formerly T308025 Army Service Corps
Died 1st June 1917

Soldier

  • Name: Albert Edward Whitethread
  • Date of birth: 1881
  • Place of Birth: Fosdyke, Lincolnshire, England
  • Date of Birth Registration: July – September 1881
  • Place of Birth Registration: Boston, Lincolnshire, England

Father

  • Name: John Whitethread
  • DOB: 1849
  • Place of Birth: West Dereham, Norfolk, England
  • Occupation: Blacksmith/general dealer

Mother

  • Name: Mary Anne Percival
  • DOB: 1850
  • Place Of Birth: Spalding, Lincolnshire, England
  • Marriage: 1876 Spalding District

Siblings: (Name), (DOB), (POB)

  • William Robert Whitethread, 1877, Sleaford
  • Fanny Whitethread, 1877, Spalding
  • Herbert Whitethread, 1878, Keal
  • Clara Whitethread, 1879, Keal
  • Beatrice Whitethread, 1880, Keal (Died 1881)
  • Albert Edward Whitethread, 1881, Fosdyke
  • Agnoria Jane Whitethread, 1883, Fosdyke
  • Ethel Whitethread, 1884, Morton (Died 1885)
  • Edith Whitethread, 1888, Morton
  • Edgar Whitethread, 1891, Morton (Died 1892)
  • John Arthur Whitethread, 1893, Morton

Census

  • 1891: Albert is living with his parents in Morton, Lincolnshire.
  • 1901: Albert is living with his parents in Morton, Lincolnshire. The census gives him an age of 20 and he is listed as a blacksmith.
  • 1911: Albert is living with his brither in Hanthorpe, Lincolnshire. The census gives him an age of 28 and he is listed as a blacksmith.
Relatives in services

  • None found

Wife

  • Name: Annie Katherine Skeeles
  • Date of birth: 1880
  • Place of Birth: St Ives, Huntingdonshire, England

Marriage

  • Date of Marriage: 31st May 1909
  • Place of Marriage: The Wesley Chapel, Atherstone

Children

  • Constance Lilian Whitethread, 1910, Bourne

Wife’s parents

  • Father: George Skeeles 
  • Mother: Mary A Bull

Newspaper Mentions

  • Grantham Journal Saturday 9th June 1917
    MORTON
    SAD NEWS – Yet another Morton young man has paid the great sacrifice, under distressing circumstances. A few days ago, Mr John Whitethread, blacksmith, received a wire from Newcastle informing him that his son, Albert Whitethread, a private in the R.F.A., was in hospital and seriously ill.  Mr Whitethread went at once, only to find that the worst had happened, and that his son had been dead some time. The body was conveyed to Morton on Tuesday, and the funeral took place on Wednesday, the service being conducted in the Wesleyan Chapel by the Rev Comyn Jones, Congregational minister, of Bourne, the body afterwards being interred in the Churchyard. The Rev Jones conducted the service. Great sympathy is felt for the bereaved family. Deceased was well known, and only recently left Morton for the military duties. We understand that death was due to pneumonia. There were several beautiful floral tributes.

Military Records

Attestation Papers

  • Available

Soldier’s Died In The Great War

  • These records show that Private Albert Edward Whitethread, TR5/74304, Army Service Corps was killed in action on 1st June 1917 at home.

Pension Records

  • None found

Effects Left To

  • Widow Annie W

Medals

  • None found

Memorials

  • UK:
  • Morton, St John the Baptist Churchyard
    Bourne War Memorial in the Memorial Gardens

 

  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
  • In memory of Private Albert Edward Whitethread, TR5/74304, 88th Bn., Training Reserve Regiment who died on 15 June 1917 Age 35
  • Remembered with honour, Morton (St John the Baptist) Churchyard

All records say he died on the 1st so I think its a typing error.

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

  • Albert Whitethread was enlisted into the Army on the 24th June 1916 in Grantham and his place of residence at the time was listed as Bourne.

    He was called up on the 15th March 1917 and posted into “James Bradford’s 3rd Company” Army Service Corps two days later, his attestation papers list his rank as a Driver.

     
    On the 24th May 1917 Albert was transferred to the 88th Training Reserve Battalion. This was, up to the end of 1916, the 19th reserve Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment but the re-organisation of the Training Battalions from September 1916 meant that the Training Reserve were no longer aligned to any regiment. This was the case until May 1917 when the training Battalions were returned to a regimental affiliation.
     
    The 88th Training Battalion were stationed at Link House Camp, Blythe, Northumberland and Albert would have been sent there for training with the Battalion on 24th May.
     
    Albert was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital in Newcastle on the 31st May 1917. He died the next day, on the 1st June, after Broncho Pneumonia set in.

Sources

  • WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  • British Newspaper Archive.