Albert Horace Gutridge - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Drake Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Able Seaman Albert Horace Gutridge - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Drake Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Albert Horace Gutridge was born in 1896 in Yarmouth, the son of George Gutridge and Amelia Waters.

Family Background and Early Life

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the family were residing at 84 Courtney Street, Swansea. George Gutridge (39), employed as a Press Man at the Fuel Works, and his Yarmouth-born wife Amelia (38), a dressmaker, had several children: Henry (18), Henry (15), George (13), Elizabeth (10), and Albert (5).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family were still living at the same address. George (53) was recorded as a Ladder Man, and Amelia (49) remained at home. Their children then present were Elizabeth (20) and Albert (15), who was employed as a Machine Boy.

Naval Service

Albert enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving as an Able Seaman with the Drake Battalion, Royal Navy Division. Like many RNVR men, he served as infantry on the Western Front rather than at sea.

The Drake Battalion – 21^st August 1918

On 21^st August 1918, the Drake Battalion was engaged in the opening phase of the Battle of Albert, part of the wider Allied Hundred Days Offensive. This marked the beginning of the sustained British advance that would eventually lead to the collapse of German resistance later that year.

The Royal Navy Division advanced against entrenched German positions east of Albert, facing machine-gun fire and artillery resistance. Unlike earlier offensives characterised by static trench warfare, operations in August 1918 involved coordinated attacks supported by artillery, tanks, and aircraft, enabling more rapid advances once enemy lines were broken.

Although ground conditions were improved compared with previous campaigns on the Somme, the fighting remained intense. German rearguards conducted determined defensive actions, and casualties were sustained during assaults and consolidation of newly captured positions.

Albert Horace Gutridge was killed in action on 21^st August 1918 during these operations.

Commemoration

Albert Horace Gutridge 
Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
credit - findagrave

With no known grave, Albert is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas de Calais, France, which honours those who fell during the final advance of 1918 and whose graves were never recovered.