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26/02/1892 - 13/07/1916

Place of birth: Fulham, Middlesex
Last known address in Bromley: 59 Bromley Gardens

Military information

Regiment/Service: Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Battalion/Ship: 2nd Bn
Rank: Private
Number: 9557

Family information

Parents: Thomas & Harriett Beckett (nee Short)
Parents' occupation: Bricklayer
Siblings: Thomas, Joseph, William Henry, Hetty, Frederick, Lily, Arthur, Charles, Matilda
Relatives on War Memorial: BECKETT, ART;, BECKETT, C.

Census information

1901
Address: 85 London Road
1911
Address: Army

Extra details

There were ten children born to Thomas and Harriet Beckett, nine survived according to the 1911 census. Joseph only appears on one document, in Albert's army papers, this says he is in Cuba. Thomas and Harriet had eight children baptised on 25th September 1894 at St Peter's Fulham, Joseph (b1884) and Matilda (b1897) were not included. Thomas's brother Joseph married Harriet's sister Elizabeth, they have a son Joseph, is this the Joseph in Cuba?
After Tom was born in Newark, Notts the family moved to London, residing in Kensington, Hammersmith and Fulham. By 1901 they had arrived in Bromley.

Albert was employed as a gardener before he enlisted at New Cross in the Royal West Kent Regiment on 22nd February 1911. He enlisted as Albert Charles. After his death his father queried the name as the insurance company "would make a lot of trouble about it".

He was 5ft 7½ins tall, weighed 123lbs, a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. He had a large scar on the left side of his back and several small scars on the back of his head.
His record reads:-
14th December 1911, having greasy service dress when parading at retreat, 3 days confined to Barracks.
22nd December 1911, Not saluting the Commanding Officer, improperly dressed in barracks, 3 days confined to Barracks.
22nd January 1912, dirty on Parade, 7 days confined to Barracks.
29th October 1912, posted Depot, Royal West Kent Regiment.
27th April 1913, having a dirty rifle on church parade, 5 days confined to Barracks.
26th September 1913, having a dirty rifle & rifle sling on Guard Mounting Parade, 7 days confined to Barracks
6th March 1914, not complying with an order, not cleaning his boots when ordered to do so, 7 days confined to Barracks.
30th June 1914, having a very rusty bayonet on Parade, 7 days confined to Barracks.

The Regiment were in India when war was declared and embarked from Bombay on 15th October 1915, arriving Busra 22nd October 1915. Albert was captured at the fall of Kut on 9th April 1916 and died from dysentery in E'Cole des Ouvers Hospital.