ALBERT JAMES BATES
Even when there is sufficient evidence to include a casualty amongst the war dead of Portsmouth the records may reveal very little by way of detail. One such person was Albert James Bates.
What is certain is that Albert James was born at Wargrave, Reading, Berkshire in the fourth quarter of 1875 to parents William and Fanny Bates. William's occupation at the time was as a policeman. Albert James appears in the 1881 and 1891 censuses and in both instances he was still living in Berkshire. However, on the 17th October 1895 he enlisted in the Rifle Brigade and then largely disappeared from the records until he was discharged in early 1919.
His discharge papers provide a rare link to Portsmouth as they state he was discharged to 23 (or 24) Shakespeare Road, Buckland, the house he shared with his wife Maria Jane. He died on 27th October 1919 and was buried in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) list Company Serjeant Major AJ Bates, (4053), Rifle Brigade, died 27/10/1919. Buried at Milton Cemetery Portsmouth (Grave Ref: I.18.19.).
Albert Bates is commemorated on the Anglican Cathedral WW1 Memorial Cross and the Cenotaph. He is not listed in "The National Roll of the Great War", Section X.
Tim Backhouse
October 2014
With additional information from Cynthia Sherwood