| Birth | 1884, Chilworth, Southampton | |
| Parents | Son of John T & Kate Stratton | |
| Residence | 5 Panuels Terrace, Chertsey St, Guildford | |
| Occupation | Worked in Gunpowder Factory (1911 Census) AA Scout before enlistment | |
| Enlisted | see Service Record | |
| Regiment | Machine Gun Corps | |
| Regimental No: | 32940 Machine Gun Corps, 1238 Essex 8th. | |
| Rank | Private | |
| Service Record | January 1904 - January 1905, Royal Horse Artillery. 19th September 1914, Shepherd’s Bush, joined D Company, 8th Essex Cycle Battalion, Territorial Army. Re-enlisted Regular Army 27th April 1916, Grantham, Machine Gun Corps. Embarked Devonport 8th September 1916 aboard SS “Berrima” for Basra. Discharged 31st March 1920. |
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| Death | No record found. No CWGC reference. | |
| Commemoration | ||
| Medals | Victory Medal, British War Medal. However, in the military records there is a receipt for these medals, apparently signed by him, on December 23rd 1921 - 8 months after the War Memorial was consecrated with his name on it. |
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| Albert Edward Stratton was born in Chilworth, Southampton, in about 1884. He was the son of John and Kate Stratton. At the time of his enlistment in Shepherds Bush on 19th September 1914, he was living with his wife, Evelyn, at 5 Pannells Terrace, Chertsey Street, in Guildford, Surrey. He appeared to have two interesting occupations at the time - working in a Gunpowder Factory and also as an AA Motor Scout. He enlisted, as 1238 Private Albert Stratton, with D Company, 8th Essex Cycle Battalion, which was part of the Territorial Army, and was discharged in 1916 in order to join the Regular Army. Here he served with the Machine Gun Corps, becoming 32940 Corporal Albert Stratton. Albert was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. However, what concerns us is that he appears to have been alive on 3rd December 1921 to receive them! We do know that he was listed as one of the many men who joined up from Froyle in 1914 and, in April 1916, on his re-enlistment form, he gave his wife’s address as Lower Froyle! However, according to the Alton Gazette of 8th January 1916 he had already died while serving with the 8th Essex Cycle Battalion! His service record shows that this is absolutely incorrect and we can follow him every step of the way as he travelled aboard HMAT Berrima to Basra in Mesopotamia, where he served with No 1 Armoured Train. In fact, with a surviving service record of 36 pages, he is one of the few men who we can follow in detail. Evelyn, meanwhile, had moved back to Guildford with their three children, 8 year old Phyllis May, 7 year old Enid Grace and 5 year old Alice Marie, where she found herself with a one month’s prison sentence in April 1917 for keeping a brothel. She not only lost her Separation Allowance, but, sadly, her three girls were taken into care by Dr Barnado’s. This was one of the facts brought before the High Court of Justice on 24th March 1919, when Albert Stratton petitioned for a divorce and custody of his three daughters. We do not have access to all the paperwork, but it would appear that this was granted, until Evelyn was able to point out that Albert had also been committing adultery. Possibly what decided the outcome was the fact that Evelyn had given birth to a son in 1917, who was not his! We do not know the outcome of the divorce proceedings, but I hope all the children were cared for and happy. Albert’s file is very much still open! I would love to know how he came to find himself on the Froyle War Memorial. |
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