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Albert Barber

Please can someone help..........

In 1911 an Albert Barber, born Rochester, Kent in 1891 is serving with The Buffs in Singapore. He is a Private.

This is all that is known about his military history as we are unable to trace his WW1 records, but he did survive.

There is a photograph of him which shows him with a military ribbon that shows he was awarded "Pip, Squeak and Wilbur".

Are then any regimental lists, diaries or books that may confirm his service with the Buffs.
I have already checked the National Archives, Force War Records, Ancestry, Find my Past and the Lives of the First World War without success.

Re: Albert Barber

Barber joined The Buffs in December 1908 and served with the 2nd Battalion. He went overseas with them on 17/1/1915 as a Lance Corporal and was in A Company. He received a gunshot wound to his right arm on 16/2/1915 and invalided home on 19/2/1915. After his recovery he was transferred to the 6th Battalion. The local press of 28/8/1915 notes that he was wounded again but I have no further details of that. He then transferred to the 1st Battalion and survived the war, being discharged on 18/4/1919 as a Sergeant.

Mick Mills

Re: Albert Barber

Thank You very much for this Mike.
There does appear to be some similarities between this Albert Barber and the man I am seeking.
The Albert Barber I am seeking ended up in Canada and married the widow of his brother, Ernest Barber who died during the War

I shall pass your information on to the family in Canada as a possible match.

Thank again for your help.

Re: Albert Barber

Does he have 3 stripes on his arm in the photograph? If so, it would be more evidence that it's him

Mick Mills

Re: Albert Barber

No - I am afraid the Uniform does not appear to be "military". It looks like it was taken after the war by the age of Albert. He may have had a job or membership of a civilian organisation that required uniform, but he definitely has a full WW1 ribbon.

His children are now all dead and his granddaughter does not know much about Albert as he died when she was a child.

Albert lost his brother Ernest in France in 1917 and another brother George when HMV Natal blew up whilst docked in the Cromaty Firth in 1915.

You mention Local Media - is this a newspaper report? If so could you please copy it and then I can send it to the family. (They are distant cousins of my husband)

Many Thanks

Sara Cox

Re: Albert Barber

The war certainly had a profound effect in that family. I only have an index of names that appeared in casualty lists in the Kentish Express and Ashford News, not the original newspapers I'm afraid. They were just lists of names in any case and wouldn't help any further with your research

Mick Mills