Albert Thomas Kempshall

Story:
Albert Kempshall was born in 1883 in West Grinstead, Sussex and baptised in Horsham, Sussex, on 10th June, 1883. He was the son of Albert Edward Kempshall, a Railway Porter, and Alice Stemp Kempshall (nee Tanner). His mother died in 1892 and his father re-married in 1898 to Esther Mobsby. At the time of the 1911 Census his family were living in Station Cottage, West Grinstead, Sussex, but Albert was working as a Domestic Gardener and boarding out with a family at The Gardens, Theydon Towers, Epping, Essex. He enlisted in Devizes, Wiltshire, giving Salisbury as his residence, as a Private and joined the 3rd/8th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Service No. 5015) but transferred as a Rifleman to the of the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) with a new Service No. 2218. He later joined the 20th (Northern) Battalion, (Territorial) of the Rifle Brigade with yet another new Service No. 207135. He died at sea on 1st January 1917 when RMS Ivernia was torpedoed 58 miles South East of Cape Matapan on the way to Alexandria, Egypt. He was one of 85 men who drowned out of a total of 2400 troops on board. His name appears on the Mikra Memorial, Kalamaria, Central Macedonia, Greece. He was awarded the British War medal and is remembered on the Tollard Royal War Memorial.