Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.

The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.

The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.

Detail :

REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOR ALBERT DAVEY SEMMENCE 2/NORFOLK REGIMENT 3326 Regimental Sergeant Major Semmence was born in Wymondham on 29th November 1874, and educated at Wymondham Grammar School. He enlisted as a Private on 3rd October 1892, and was killed in action at Shaiba, Mesopotamia, on 14th April 1915. On April 12th 1915 after some days of probing assaults a force of some 12,000 Turks and 10,000 Arabs attacked Shaiba where the Norfolks were located. They did not take the town but retired to dig in about 1500 yards from our lines to continue their assaults. Reinforcements were sent for from Basra but the floods hindered them. The following is from the Hunts Post dated 28th May 1915 and it tells a little of the action at Shaiba during those few days in April. Sgt and Mrs Dighton of Spaldwick have received several interesting letters from their eldest son Pte Whit Dighton of the 2nd Norfolks who has been on active service in the Persian Gulf since last November. Pte Dighton says the country in which he is now located is a desert, miles away from any town, with blinding sandstorms which are far worse than rain.

After four days terrific fighting against a superior body of Turks, suddenly we received the order to charge. We fixed bayonets and put all the strength into it we could. The Turks were completely taken by surprise, and we were upon them in a flash. Their confusion was indescribable. They ran for their lives, thousands of them, and we quickly occupied their trenches, and simply potted them over like ninepins. As they ran some threw away their arms and surrendered. Our artillery completed their rout. Their losses totaled some thousands ....... I cannot speak too highly of our officers; they are bricks - every one of them. One gave me his last drop of water from his bottle, or I don't think I should have been left to tell the tale. On the 13th April the Norfolks had broken out to rush the Turkish front line trenches and took them at bayonet point. They did not immediately pursue the enemy to the second line but rested up. They had been under harassment for some days and directly under arms for 36 hours continuously. On the 14th April an attack on the Turkish second line entrenchments began at noon with the 18th Brigade on the right of the line and the 16th Brigade on the left. This developed into a stationary firefight, in the heat of the midday sun. At 4 pm a last British effort was made and the Turkish rear lines fell. This would be the charge mentioned in Whit's letter. Sergeant Major SEMMENCE and 2/Lieutenant Robert Alexander WYNN (Quetta Lodge No 2333) also of 2/Norfolks died in the action on the 14th April at Shaiba.

For his service in South Africa he was awarded the Queens South Africa Campaign Medal with Cape Colony, Paardeburg and Johannesburg clasps. Also awarded the Kings South Africa Medal with 1901 and 1902 clasps. He was entitled to the 1911 Delhi Durbar Medal and was also in receipt of the Long Service and Good Conduct medal. For his service in the Great War he was awarded the 1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

He is commemorated on the War Memorial cross at St Matthew's Church, Thorpe Hamlet.

Masonic :

Albert is referenced as belonging to Skelmersdale Lodge No. 1729, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. In that record he is shown to have joined from the Irish Constitution Lodge No. 570. However there are dates as having been passed and raised, but perhaps allude to him perhaps being passed and raised in that former lodge. Whatever it means, it is unusual.

Joined Inhabitants Lodge 19th June 1909 listed as a Colour Sergeant of the 2nd Norfolks. Inhabitants contribution record shows that he was absent/arrears in 1913 1914 but the annotation at the end records "Died 14.4.15."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley