Albert Joseph Eaton

Private 71016 Albert Joseph Eaton 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) died of wounds in France 18th June 1918.

Albert was born in Woodham Ferrers 25th February 1883 the son of Robert James Marshall Eaton and his wife Sarah Ann Eaton. Albert’s father favoured the name Marshall and he had married Sarah Ann Mulley at St Mary’s Woodham Ferrers on 15th January 1876.

In civilian life Albert was, like his father, a carpenter. In 1911 Albert was still living with his mother and two of his brothers in Bicknacre, his father having died in 1904.

He originally enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment with a service number of 6960 which suggests that he enlisted around the middle of 1903 when he was aged about 20. However, as he was back in Woodham Ferrers at the 1911 census, it is likely that he had completed his service but would have been transferred to reserve. Unfortunately his service record has not survived. He was subsequently posted to the 9th (Service) Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) raised in 1914 as part of Kitchener’s First Volunteer Army. His medal record does not indicate that he was awarded the 1914-15 Star so he did not serve with them in Gallipoli in 1915. They came under the command of the 33rd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division, Third Army and fought in several engagements during the Battle of the Somme from late July 1916.

In 1917 the battalion moved to Flanders in Belgium for the Battles of Messines, followed by several engagements during the Third Battle of Ypres otherwise remembered as Passchendaele infamous for the mud. These included Langemark, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde and Poelcapelle.

The battalion was not involved in any major battle in the early months of 1918 but at some stage Albert was wounded and subsequently died of his wounds. He is buried at Pernes British Cemetery, Parnes-en-Artois, Pas de Calais where two casualty clearing stations had recently been set up. He was aged 35 when he died and was awarded the British War and Victory Medals. He is remembered on the Woodham Ferrers memorial as Joseph A Eaton.

His cousin Alfred Eaton had been reported missing in action in November of the previous year. There are three more Eatons mentioned on Woodham Ferrers War Memorial but they survived the war.