Albert Finselbach – Royal Artillery, 67 (6th Battalion, The Welch Regiment) Searchlight Regiment

Gunner Albert Finselbach – Royal Artillery, 67 (6th Battalion, The Welch Regiment) Searchlight Regiment

Early Life and Marriage

Albert Finselbach was born in 1912 in Swansea. Very few records survive that illuminate his early life, and he appears only intermittently in official documentation. In 1933, he married Florence Elizabeth Piper, establishing a home in Swansea during the unsettled years leading up to the Second World War.

Military Service – Searchlight Regiment

Albert later enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, serving with the 67 (6th Battalion, The Welch Regiment) Searchlight Regiment. Searchlight units formed a vital part of Britain’s air‑defence network, illuminating enemy aircraft for anti‑aircraft batteries and night‑fighter interception. Service in such regiments demanded long hours, technical skill, and constant readiness during periods of heavy Luftwaffe activity.

Albert Finselbach
St. Samlet Churchyard, Llansamlet
credit - findagrave

Death, April 1942

On 18 April 1942, Albert Finselbach was shot by a fellow soldier, Lance Bombardier Gwilym Rhys Williams, one of his closest friends in their billet. The attending police constable later recalled Williams saying, “I am the culprit, I shot him,” followed by the anguished words, “Oh my God, what have I done.” Albert was taken to hospital in Barry, but despite medical efforts, he died from his injuries.

The incident remains one of the most tragic and unusual losses connected to the Searchlight Regiment during the war, reflecting the strain and emotional pressures placed on men serving in high‑intensity defensive roles.

Burial

Albert was buried with full military honours at St. Samlet Churchyard, Llansamlet, where his grave stands among the wartime burials of the parish, marking a life cut short not by enemy action, but by a moment of devastating misjudgment within the ranks.