Albert George Allchin was born in Camberwell on 10th January 1893 to parents Henry, a carpenter, and Helena. He had two brothers, one older, Henry Richard Allchin, who also died in the war, and a younger brother Frederick. By 1901, his father had died leaving his mother to bring up her young family on her own. She worked to support them as a manageress in a laundry and by 1911 had remarried, to Henry Talbert, almost 20 years her senior, and they both worked in the laundry.
Albert joined the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman in 1911 when he was 18 years old and he signed on for 12 years of service. His service records state that he was 5ft 7 inches tall and was light haired, with a fair complexion and grey eyes. His family moved to 201 Snowdrop Road, Lodge Lane, Welling, part of the Hutments estate built to house workers at the Royal Arsenal.
Serving on HMS Laurel, Albert was involved in The First Battle of Heligoland Bight – the first naval battle of the Great War, fought on 28 August 1914, following a British plan to attack enemy patrols off the northwest German coast. Three German light cruisers and one destroyer were sunk. Three more light cruisers were damaged, 712 German sailors killed, 530 injured and 336 taken prisoner. The British suffered one light cruiser and three destroyers damaged, 35 killed and 40 wounded. The battle was regarded as a great victory in Britain, where the returning ships were met by cheering crowds.
The Laurel, however, was one of the British ships damaged in this battle. Reports state: “Commander Frank Rose Fired two torpedoes, turned away and very badly hit by a salvo, one shell in the engine-room killed 4 men and did much damage, another struck near foremost gun and killed 3 more, third hit aft, detonated lyddite shells in the ready racks, put after gun out of action and damaged the after funnel so much the ship was hidden in a dense cloud of smoke. Although under fire, the ship continued to fight and then with damaged engines, boilers and funnel limped off to be towed home. CO continued to fight the ship although seriously wounded in his leg by the third shell; 1 officer and 10 ratings died, 1 officer and 10 ratings wounded.”
Albert Allchin was one of those men killed. He was 21 years of age. He is buried in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham (naval 14.718). There is a large Royal Navy section in this cemetery which was reserved by the Admiralty and served the Royal Naval Hospital in Windmill Road. In total, Woodlands Cemetery contains 834 burials and commemorations of the Great War.
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