No.21494, Private, Albert BAILEY
Aged 29
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Albert Bailey was born in Shimpling (4th qtr 1887 Sudbury 4a:868) son of Joseph and Drusilla BAILEY (née CRASKE)
1891 census...Aged 4, he was at Mill Cottage, Melford Road, Shimpling with his father Joseph BAILEY [31] farm labourer and his mother Drusilla [32]. All were born in Shimpling 1901 census...Aged 14, yard boy on farm, he was still at Mill Cottages with his parents (mother a grocer) and grandmother Ann M CRASKE [75] born Hartest. 1911 census...Aged 24, horseman on farm, he was at Rosier Cottage, Walton, Suffolk with his wife May Jane MANN [1-5-1892] born Great Finborough. They had married the previous year in Woodbridge. On the pension card his widow was at Needham Road, Combs, Stowmarket |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds when resident in Combs
The war diary following is courtesy www.bedfordegiment.oorg.uk 2 Nov 1917 - [Comment - 3rd Battle at Gaza] Skeikh Hasan 0210 Left Bivouac area, in order named in Bedford Order No.8 dated 31 Oct 17. 0310 Passed SHEIKH AJLIN. No casualties 0315-0345 Moved forward very slowly to within 150 yds SEA POST, where we were blocked owing to 11th Londons waiting to deploy 0410-0430 Moved forward about 300 yds. Companies moved off and Battn .H.Q. were established about 150 yds S. of CRICKET WELL waiting here until Advanced Battn. H.Q. reported TOMB SPUR cleared and Advanced H.Q. established there. This was reported about 0510. Battn.H.Q. moved to TOMB SPUR, they came under heavy machine gun fire from RAFA-BELAH RIDGE. No casualties. Attack on SHEIKH HASAN was carried out absolutely to programme and by 0600 HASAN GARDEN was cleared right through and consolidated on a line from S.W. corner of P.3.c. HASAN PIMPLE - SHEIKH HASAN. Thirteen officers and 140 O'Ranks prisoners were taken and sent back, a number of Turks were killed twenty have been counted, there are probably more as the locality is too big to reach properly. Three Machine Guns, fragments of a fourth over 200 rifles many thousand rounds of S.A.A., Bombs, R.E. material, Q.M.Stores, papers and booty is being collected, but owing to consolidation no proper salvage arrangements can be put into operation. In the attack one Platoon led by 2/Lieut.E.A.Phillips [Ernest Arthur PHILLIPS], BERKSHIRE REGT attached this until with more dash than thought for his orders reached and entered TURTLE HILL. The Turks put up the white flag, but a M.G. in rear opened on the Platoon and nearly all of them were wiped out 2/LieutE.A.PHILLIPS was killed. During the advance through the garden our shrapnel barrage is said to have been erratic, or it may have been the keenness of the men, but we suffered most of our casualties there from our own shell fire. The protective barrage also did not lift off HASAN PIMPLE and SHEIKH HASAN this also caused further casualties before it could be stopped. The Tanks were not on time and only No.5 turned up eventually at 0625, this off-loaded its R.E. material and proceeded forward, but soon afterwards it broke down. From about 0615 to 0830 the enemy shelled us heavily with what was thought to be one 5.9 one 4.2 and two 77 m.m batteries. Efforts were made to support the Northampton attack on LION and TIGER but owing to smoke and mist visibility was bad. During the morning we suffered from enemy M.G. and Rifle fire from TORTOISE HILL and TURTLE HILL. At 1430 the 1/4th Northampton Regiment attacked TORTOISE HILL and BELAH unsuccessfully and were driven back at the same time the whole locality came under very heavy enemy shell fire again and a very strong enemy counter-attack developed between TORTOISE HILL and TURTLE HILL. We reinforced our right, and all communications being cut by shell fire, fired the S.O.S. signal our barrage then came down and this together with our machine gun fire stopped the enemy. At the same time Turks were reported advancing from the direction of TIGER this was confirmed by the action of the Navy who opened fire on them at once and this stopped the movement. It is said that this party was the remains of the Northampton Company returning to our lines. During the evening the remaining Northamptons and one Company of 1/11th London Regiment were put under this Battns orders, the distribution being as follows Strong Point S.E. corner of P.2.d is held by Northamptons. Three of our Coys with one Platoon each attached from 1/11th London Company are distributed in two lines from BEACH ROAD, HASAN PIMPLE to SHEIKH HASAN. No attempt has been made to entrench a continuous line. Platoons are distributed checkerwise mutually supporting one another, four M.Gs and four Stokes Guns are in the second line near the road. This arrangement has worked well so far although the enemy has shelled us very continuously we have not had as many casualties as we might have done. We are under close observation from TURTLE HILL and it is beginning to tell.
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