Albert Edward Aldwinckle
Albert Edward Aldwinckle was born in 1889, the fourth of five sons born to Cecil Aldwinckle and his Sheffield-born wife Frances. Cecil himself was born in Cottingham, one of ten children of Bartholomew Aldwinckle, and grew up there during the 1860s and early 1870s. The family had previously owned a farm but by Cecil’s childhood his father had been reduced to farm labouring. As a young man, Cecil moved to Ilkeston on the Derbyshire – Nottinghamshire border and worked in the coalmines in various roles; as a sinker, a mining contractor and a labourer. His five sons all worked in the mines.
Albert Edward married in 1908 and had at least two daughters with his wife Matilda nee Webster. He joined the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment, 7th Battalion, as did his brother Frank. No service record has survived for either man but Albert’s name appears on a Silver War Badge index (awarded to servicemen who became ill or were wounded while serving in a theatre of war or at home) which gives his joining up date as 7 December 1915 and discharge date as 18 July 1919. It also confirms his service overseas. At the time of his discharge he was in the 9th Battalion.
His brothers Harry and Archibald were also awarded the Silver War Badge.
The 7th Battalion was formed in August 1914 as part of the First New Army, and embarked for Gallipoli in June 1915. It fought in Turkey until late January 1916, so it is fairly likely both brothers were involved in the later stages. Towards the end of January 1916 the battalion was evacuated to Egypt having suffered heavy casualties from combat, disease and atrocious weather conditions. It moved on to Mesopotamia the following month and was later engaged in various actions. These included the Battle of Kut al Amara – where Albert Edward’s brother Frank was killed in action - the capture of Dahra Bend, and the capture of Baghdad itself. In July 1918 the 7th transferred to the 39th Brigade of the North Persia Force and moved to Baku (now the capital city of Azerbaijan) to protect the oil fields. It ended the war in Enzeli on the Caspian coast of Iran.
On 30 December 1918 Albert Edward was sent by train from Marseilles and admitted to military hospital; his admission papers say his medical condition was yet to be diagnosed but added the word ‘mental’. His service number was still 39468 so presumably he was still in the 7th battalion. (The Forces War Records website incorrectly gives the initial H instead of A). He was discharged to duty three days later, and then finally discharged on 18 July 1919. His discharge papers give his service number as 491286 / 9th Battalion.
In 1923 his wife Matilda died aged thirty four; their daughters were eleven and six years old. In 1939 Albert Edward was a patient in Mickleover County Mental Hospital on the outskirts of Derby. His unmarried daughters were still living and working in the hosiery trade in Ilkeston. He died in September 1947 aged fifty eight, still a patient at Mickleover according to his estate administration documentation.
For an account of the historic extended Aldwinckle family see John Bartholomew Aldwinckle. The following list gives the names of all known servicemen who were descended from Aldwinckles living Cottingham and Middleton in the nineteenth century.
(I also have information on a further five servicemen descended from the Aldwinckle family of Drayton in Leicestershire whose ancestors moved there from Cottingham in the eighteenth century. They are Ernest Aldwinckle, George Harry Aldwinckle, William Harold Aldwinckle, Herbert Aldwinckle and William James Aldwinckle. Please contact me <cottinghamsoldiers@gmail.com> if you would like to know more.)
Servicemen descended from Thomas Aldwinckle (1816-1899):
William Augustus Aldwinckle, Ralph Aldwinckle and Ernest Henry Aldwinckle.
Servicemen descended from Henry Aldwinckle (1770-1842):
John Bartholomew Aldwinckle, Charles Henry Aldwinckle, Arthur Edwin Aldwinckle, Frederick Wade Coles, Albert Edward Aldwinckle, Archibald Aldwinckle, Frank Aldwinckle, Harry Aldwinckle, William John Aldwinckle, Harry Aldwinckle, George Robert Aldwinckle, Thomas Aldwinckle and Walter Aldwinckle.
Servicemen descended from William Aldwinckle (1807-1891):
Bartle Essex Aldwinckle, Charles Reginald Burdett, Alfred Norman Burdett and William Edward Burdett.
Servicemen descended from John Aldwinckle (1817-1884):
John Aldwinckle, Percy Aldwinckle, Henry Aldwinckle and Bernard Aldwinckle.