Person    | Male  Born 1896  Died 10/10/1915

Private Albert Edward Springham

Categories: Armed Forces

War dead, WW1 i

Commemorated on a memorial as having died in WW1.

Private Albert Edward Springham

Albert Edward Springham was born in 1896 in Rotherhithe, London, the fourth of the seven children of Henry Albert Springham (1864-1916) and Arletta Springham née Wright (1865-1936). His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1896 in the St Olave registration district, Southwark, London.

In the 1901 census he is shown as aged 5 years, living in four rooms at 51 Reculver Road, Deptford, London, with his parents and five siblings: Henry Arthur Springham (1887-1972); William John Springham (1890-1945); Arletta Mary Springham (1891-1954); Edith Harriett Springham (1897-1965) and Alfred Robert Springham (1900-1960). His father was described as a paper hanger decorator.

When his father completed the family 1911 census return form he described his son as a 15-year-old hairdresser's assistant lather boy. The family of nine were living in five rooms at 5A Ruddigore Road, New Cross, London, and were listed as: Henry Arthur Springham senior - house painter; his wife Arletta Springham; Henry Arthur Springham junior - a London, Brighton and South Coast Railway carriage cleaner; William John Springham - a fitter's labourer (engineer); Arletta Mary Springham - factory hand; Edith Harriett Springham; Alfred Robert Springham  and Alice Maude Springham (b.1902) were all described as at school.

He enlisted in the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, service number G/3370, and entered France on 24 March 1915. He died from disease, aged 19 years, on 10 October 1915 at the Lewisham Military Hospital, 390 High Street, Lewisham, London and was buried on 16 October 1915 in Grave A.1854 in Brockley Cemetery, 113 Brockley Grove, London, SE4 1DZ. As he has no headstone he is commemorated there on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's screen wall

On 25 August 1919 his £3-0s-0d war gratuity was sent to his mother. He was posthumously awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal. Both the Register of UK Army Effects and the regiment's Medal Rolls show he was serving in the regiment's 2nd Battalion, however is shown as being in the 3rd Battalion on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website who also incorrectly list his age as 20 years. 

He is shown as PTE. A. SPRINGHAM on the Lewisham War Memorial located outside the former Lewisham Library, Lewisham High Street, London, SE13 and as PRIVATE A. E. SPRINGHAM on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's screen wall in Brockley Cemetery. He is also commemorated on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website and on the Lewisham War Memorials website.

Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Private Albert Edward Springham

Commemorated ati

Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries - Deptford war servicemen

The letters/numbers at the end of many of the entries refer to the location o...

Read More

Lewisham Hospital war memorial

Some of the names on the memorial are illegible. We have found a list on the ...

Read More

Other Subjects

J. C. Harland

J. C. Harland

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
E. B. Townshend

E. B. Townshend

Resident of the West Ward, Hendon who served and died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Wandsworth Fire Station

Wandsworth Fire Station

The display stand that forms part of the memorial contains a picture of this building shortly after the fire, but the glazing makes it difficult to photograph so we are using a picture of the build...

Building, Armed Forces, Tragedy

2 memorials
Wm. F. Young

Wm. F. Young

Resident of the Central Ward, Hendon who served and died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Trooper Alexander Swan Jones

Trooper Alexander Swan Jones

Alexander Swan Jones was born on 1 November 1907 in Liverpool, Lancashire, the second of the three children of Oliver Parker Jones (1877-1940) and Ann Jones née Swan (1879-1956). His birth was regi...

Person, Armed Forces, Iran/Persia

War dead, WW2
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Reverend Thomas Tyssen Bazely, MA.

Reverend Thomas Tyssen Bazely, MA.

Rev. Thomas Tyssen Bazely, of Dover, Kent. Fellow and Tutor of Brasenose 1831–39, Rector of All Saints Poplar 1839–60. He was the second rector there. TT married Julia Shipdem and they had just one...

Person, Religion

1 memorial
Bowler plaque - Soup, Bread and Salt

Bowler plaque - Soup, Bread and Salt

E1, Brune Street, 17-19

We failed to find this in Dec-Jan 2017. The plaque shows bowls of soup, bread rolls and spoons holding salt, as a reference to the Jewish...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator