Albert Kenneth Bassford was born in Lucknow, India in 1887. He was the fourth of seven children born to William Hern Bassford and Emma McDougall.
The Bassford family moved back to England sometime before 1891 and they were recorded as living in Tottenham during the 1891 census. By the 1901 census, the Bassfords had moved to 23 Green Lane, Ilford.
Albert married Sarah Elizabeth Howard in 1909 when he was 22. He joined the Royal Field Artillery and by 1911 was living in military barracks with several other men, including his younger brother Harold.
At the outbreak of war, Albert was already a Corporal and was one of the first men sent to the front line. He was killed on 23rd August 1914; only nineteen days after Britain declared war on Germany. His grave is in Estinnes-au-Mont Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
Albert’s brother, Harold, was later killed on 10th November 1918, just a day before the Armistice came into effect.
Research by Redbridge Museum
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com