Albert Charge was born in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire on Saturday, 17th June 1899 the sixth child and second son born to Alfred Elisha Charge and Minnie Cater. Alfred and Minnie had seven children together who were: Amy Jane, Daisy Annie, Mary May, Dorothy Isabel, William Henry Cater, Albert and Arthur. Dorothy died at birth in 1896. Albert started school in February 1904 when he joined Two Waters British School near his home in Boxmoor. His school career, like so many at the time, was unremarkable and he left to start work in June 1912 when he was thirteen-years-old. He went to work for A. Wander Ltd., in the new Ovaltine factory in Kings Langley which had opened the year after Albert left school with a total of thirteen employees. Albert remained with Ovaltine until he went to war.

He travelled to Bedford as soon as he reached his eighteenth birthday in June 1917 and enlisted with the 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, known as ‘The Shiney Seventh’. Albert may have chosen to enlist at Bedford where he was not known, because at eighteen, he was not eligible to serve overseas. It appears that he claimed to be a year older because he was sent to France, and in fact died, before he reached the age of nineteen. On enlistment he was sent for basic training, following which he was posted to join his unit. It is not clear exactly when Albert went overseas, but it was probably no earlier than Christmas 1917, although it could have been as late as April 1918. The Battalion War Diary recorded the following: “8-4-18 Morning devoted to cleaning of equipment & refitting. Draft of 52 Other Ranks joined battalion of good physique”

Regardless of whether he arrived in December or later, he would have been pitched into battle almost immediately as the 7th Bedfords fought at the Battle of St Quentin in March and suffered heavy casualties. The Battle of the Avre followed in early April where thankfully casualties were much lighter. However, towards the end of the month we know that Albert was at the Front and on the 24th April, he fought in the action at Villers-Bretonneux. This action was an attack at night and whilst ultimately successful, it nevertheless exposed the Battalion to heavy enemy machine gun fire until the morning. The War Diary recorded the following when the fighting had ceased: “The bearing of all ranks was most commendable, and deserving of the highest praise. Casualties: Officers: 3 killed: 7 wounded. Casualties: Other Ranks 13 killed 105 wounded 70 missing.”

It was during this action that Albert fell and he died of wounds received on Wednesday, 24th April 1918. Albert’s war was tragically brief and he was at the Front for a few months at most and in all probability for a matter of only sixteen days.

He was commemorated on the Memorial Plaque in St John the Evangelist Church in Boxmoor where he had worshipped.

Albert is Remembered with Honour in Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, Somme, France where he is interred in Grave I. C. 13. The inscription on his headstone, requested by his mother Minnie, reads simply “AT REST”

He was only 18 years old when he died.

Albert was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.