LEATHERHEAD WAR MEMORIALS - WWI
Lance Serjeant , Albert Francis Maspero
15th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Taken, Not Given, Liam Sumption, L&DLHS
Sergeant
Albert F Maspero
15th Royal Warwickshire Regt
Arras
May 22 1916 [sic]
In pursuing enquiries about the men from Leatherhead who died in the
First World War it has been seldom possible to ascertain both their
personal background and the personal circumstances of their untimely
deaths. Death on the Western Front was anonymous.
Albert Maspero was killed in a trench raid which went desperately wrong.
Trench raids, usually under cover of darkness, were short, sanguinary
'in and out' affairs, with no holds or weapons barred.The object was to
secure prisoners in order that the enemy unit opposite could be
identified. If none of the enemy survived to be taken prisoner, then the
pockets of the dead were hastily rifled for pay books or correspondence.
Sometimes, before the raiding party escaped, there was barely time to
rip off an epaulette which would enable identification of the opposing
unit (e.g. 15th Reserve Jaegers from Potsdam).
Sergeant Maspero's family were of Italian extraction engaged in clock
and watch repairs in The Crescent. Four brothers of the family served in
H.M. forces in the 1914-18 war. They are listed in the parish church of
St Mary and St Nicholas:–
C.H. Maspero - Cape Rifles
Albert [R] Maspero - Royal Warwicks (the deceased)
A Wallace Maspero - H.Q.S. (the identification of this branch or arm of
the service is not possible)
Percy Maspero - R.N.A.S. (between 1895 and 1900 he worshipped in the
church).
As I was noting these details, and talking to friends amongst the
'church watchers', one remembered that Mr. Ian Maspero, son of Percy
Maspero, had visited the church in July 1991 (it was now September) and
had entered his name and address in the Visitors' Book. I took advantage
of this opportunity and wrote. Mr Ian Maspero was kind enough to reply
and gave me the following particulars in a very detailed letter.
Albert Maspero was known to his family as Uncle Pete (all that
generation of the family bore nicknames unrelated to their actual
names). He had been born in Leatherhead in 1889 (thus he was aged 27
[sic] years when he died) and also attended school in the town. He was
unmarried, and how he came to join the Birmingham City Battalion of the
Royal Warwicks was unknown to Mr Ian Maspero.
However the family did know that Albert Maspero "was caught in the wire
in 'no-mans land' and so met his death". As the official report shows,
this was tragically all too true.
The Maspero family must have been very unusual in rural Surrey. Albert
Maspero was the seventh of eight sons of William Angelo Maspero, a
watchmaker and jeweller of Leatherhead.
On 17 May 1916, the battalion marched to Arras to relieve the 2nd. Bn
K.O.S.B. in K1 sector. This was accomplished without casualties.
Next day (18th) the [War] Diary notes mortar and artillery activity.
Two days later (20th) the Royal Warwicks took possession of a crater,
fortified it and consolidated their position.
On the 22nd the fatal trench raid was set in motion. The attack on the
German trenches opposite was to be undertaken by a "selected party"
under Captain Gough, consisting of two subalterns, eight NCOs and 52
men. There were two parties, each under one of the subalterns, one
right, one left.
When the British raiding party was outside its own wire, the artillery
bombardment commenced. However the Germans had rewired their front,
previously broken by the British trench mortars.
The Germans opened up a "murderous fire" and the leaders were hit. One
officer was wounded and one was missing. Three of the enlisted men were
killed, 18 wounded and six were missing. Just over half of the raiding
party had become casualties. Two more men had sheltered in a shell hole,
the entire following day, but managed to regain the British trenches at
night.
The War Diary, in referring to "the failure of the enterprise" stated
"it is obvious that the enemy had received a warning of the raid by some
means, and had made special preparations to meet it".
Such was the awful story of 22nd May 1916.
Notes on sources
1. Letter from Mr Ian Maspero dated 15 October 1991.
2. War Diary of 15th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment, reference
WO95/1557 Public Record Office, Kew, Richmond.
3. [Ladies' War Shrine in Leatherhead Parish Church]
Stop press
From the January 1915 issue, the Parish magazine carried
advertisements for the family firm.
In the July 1916 issue announcing his death the substantive rank of
Albert Maspero is given as Corporal.
Further research
Lance
Serjeant
MASPERO, ALBERT FRANCIS
Service Number 836
Died 23/05/1916
15th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Commemorated at ARRAS
MEMORIAL
Location: Pas de Calais, France
Cemetery/memorial reference: Bay 3.
Albert Maspero has no known grave. At the time of his
enlistment he was living at 12 Wigorn Road, Warley Woods,
Worcestershire.
He joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment with service
number 836. He was promoted from Corporal to Lance Sergeant which is the
rank he had when he died. His date of death is shown as 22 May 1916 on
the Leatherhead War Memorial, but all his military record the
death as a day later on 23 May 1916. The Ladies War Shrine in St Mary
and St Nicholas Church shows his first name, Albert, as Abel.
The date discrepancy may have arisen because the action in
which Albert Maspero died was a night attack. He is named in the
following document in the War Diary of the 15th Battalion Royal
Warwicks:
ACCOUNT OF RAID MADE ON GERMAN
TRENCHES 22/5/16 BY "D" COMPANY, 15TH S[ERVICE] BATTALION ROYAL
WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT
To OC 15th Bn R War Regt from OC Raid
Party consisted of 2nd Lieuts
French HE & RA WILTON, 8 NCOs and 52 men.
Party was divided into RIGHT and LEFT parties.
Both parties were assembled with ladders and Trench boards, ready to climb
over the parapet at 9-50 pm.
By 10 pm all but the supporting
parties were lying out in front of our own wire.
AT 10-0 pm THE ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT BEGAN
AT 10-3 pm THE PARTIES BEGAN TO CRAWL IN NEARER
AT 10-5 pm THE BARRAGE LIFTED OVER THE SECTION TO BE RAIDED ON, ONTO THE
THIRD LINE, AND THE PARTIES WENT FORWARD AT A STEADY DOUBLE.
RIGHT PARTY Sgt Smith and the first two bayonet men reached the Gap
in the German wire and found that Wire balls had been put in it.
They were cutting these when the Germans opened a rapid fire from FIRESTEP
and PARADOS.
SGT SMITH was hit in the chest and left hand, and seeing the trench full
of Germans ordered RETIRE. (Whilst cutting the wire the first Bayonet man
shot a German with his rifle.)
On retiring one man, Pte Humphries, got in a shell hole and threw his 8
bombs into the GERMAN TRENCH.
Four men were hit coming back,
but managed to get back into our OBSTACLE TRENCH (Ptes FAZEY, BARR, TURNER
& GREEN.)
All the "Right" party got back
except Pte Mills, who was missing.
Sgt SMITH lead his party admirably, and, by ordering a retirement,
probably saved the whole Right Party from being wiped out.
LEFT PARTY under 2ND LT AC FRENCH.
2nd Lt WILTON, who was leading, and the first two bayonet men were 12
yards from the German Trench, when the Germans opened rapid fire from FIRE
STEP and PARADOS.
2nd Lt WILTON, SGT COTTERILL, and 825 PTE SMITH were hit immediately (Lt
WILSON through the lungs.)
2nd Lt WILTON shouted "GO ON" and the first two men (Ptes BROWN &
SADLER) reached the parapet where they were both shot down, Pte Brown
falling into the German Trench.
SGT SCRIVENS, in charge of the
first 8 men of this party shouted "COME ON, NO.1" and must have been shot
immediately, because no one saw him again.
The order to RETIRE was then
given. Retiring, SGT MASPERO was shot dead in the German wire and
Pte Foster wounded just on our side of the wire.
PTES RYLEY, FRANCE, GOSSAGE,
DENCHFIELD & TIMMINS – retired to the shell hole into which 2nd LT
WILTON and SGT COTTERILL had fallen when they were hit, but getting there
PTE DENCHFIELD was killed and PTE FRANCE wounded.
PTE HOLLIS was wounded while trying to help 825 PTE SMITH who was wounded,
back to our trench, but both managed to get back.
After waiting at the shell-hole a
little time, PTE RYLEY managed to drag LT WILTON to a shell hole nearer
our lines, and to come back for help.
Meanwhile the remainder of the
party had fallen back on to Lt FRENCH's supporting party who were just out
of our OBSTACLE TRENCH.
LT FRENCH asked if LT WILTON was back and when no one answered said "COME
ON, CORPORAL PURCHASE, LET'S GO AND FETCH HIM."
He and Cpl PURCHASE ran towards the German Trench, and on the way Cpl
PURCHASE found Pte Foster wounded, who led him to SGT MASPERO who
was dead on the German wire, about 20 yards from the parapet.
LT FRENCH was just in front, running about 12 yards from the German
parapet, when Cpl Purchase saw him crumple up and fall onto some low
German wire entanglement.
A minute later a bomb burst a foot from him, Cpl Purchase then tried to
drag PTE FOSTER in, but he was caught in the wire and so CPL PURCHASE came
back for help.
In the meantime Pte TIMMINS who
was slightly wounded, in the shell hole, had walked off in the direction
of the German Trench, in the belief that it was ours, despite the efforts
of PTE GOSSAGE to stop him.
Of the other two living men in
the shell hole, PTE FRANCE who had a bad wound in the right shoulder, was
crying for water, and so PTE GOSSAGE came back for some water and help.
Ten minutes afterwards, however, PTE FRANCE managed to struggle into the
OBSTACLE TRENCH, although he was badly hurt.
After the RAID, the Germans kept up a heavy rifle fire all night until
dawn and continuously threw up Very Lights which considerably hampered the
fetching in of the wounded.
When the men came back, I stopped
the Artillery and started to collect them. They told me LTS FRENCH
AND WILTON were still out and so I asked LT ANDERSON ("C" Coy and
SGT KNIGHT my reserve NCO) to collect the men and have a roll call, and
got two men (Cpl Purchase and Pte Jacobs a signaller) with a stretcher,
and got Pte Ryley to guide me to where he had left LT WILTON. We got him
on a stretcher, and carried him back to the trench.
When we got back, I got to know
how many men were out, and got volunteers from "C" Coy to go and search
the front for them. In this CAPT HEWSON, Trench Mortar Officer and LT
TREMLETT F.O.O. 52nd BATT RFA were of great assistance, as without my
asking them, they went out in front to look for the men.
I then took CPL PURCHASE, PTE
GREAVES, and a stretcher and got PTE RYLEY to guide me to where he had
left the party in the shell hole. Unfortunately he lost his direction, and
although we extended to 5 paces, and searched, all along we could not find
any men.
When we got back the two live men
(one wounded) from the shell hole came in, leaving only two dead men
there.
I then had a complete roll call,
with the assistance of lists LTS ANDERSON & JEFFERYS had compiled, and
sent out PTES HEWSON & DANCE to look for PTE MILLS who was missing.
I then detailed PTE GOSSAGE to
lead PTE RYLEY with a rope to the shell hole to try and drag one of the
dead men back, and myself took took CPL PURCHASE, PTE OGBOURNE & PTE
JACOBS with a rope to try and find LT FRENCH. We went as close as possible
and searched all round, but could find nothing of it him, nor, by the
light of the Very Lights could we see him on the wire, so I am afraid he
must have been taken away by the Germans.
Meanwhile, PTE GOSSAGE had gone
faint, so PTE RYLEY started out with a rope to try and find my party, and,
on the way, having lost direction, found PTE FOSTER, whom he managed to
drag in by tying a rope around his feet. He was dead however (PTE FOSTER).
When we got back, it was getting
too light to go out again, so I again called a roll call, sent men to
Dug-outs to rest and myself went and reported to BATTN H.QRS.
I did all I could to get all the
men in but I am afraid the Germans must have got in LT FRENCH before we
got there.
On return of the party to our
lines, a bomb, the pin of which must have been loosened in crawling over,
exploded, presumably in the man's haversack, killing the man and wounding
six others.
[After listing those who took part in the LEFT and RIGHT parties and
making recommendations for awards "Whilst writing the above , I hear that
two of the missing men (PTES MILLS AND TIMMINS) returned last night
23/5/16, Pte TIMMINS being slightly wounded with a hand grenade. These
men, I understand, remained in a deep shell hole about 12 yards from the
German parapet, which was partly filled with wire, from the dawn of the
23rd until the night of the 23rd, when they crawled to our trenches. I
fear their experiences are too lengthy to put here.
Two of the men report having seen
a man run across NO MAN'S LAND on our left, to the German wire,
immediately before our advance.]
24/5/16 Roy I Gough, Capt
OC RAID "D" Company
15TH S. BATTN ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGT
SECRET
General Staff 23 May 1916 5th Division
The Divisional Commander wishes
to thank the 15th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment for their very
gallant effort to enter the enemy's trenches last night.
Their non-success seems to have
been entirely due to the fact that the enemy was not surprised, and they
did not cease their efforts until half the attacking party had been killed
or wounded.
The fact that the enemy was ready
may perhaps have been due to our wire cutting with trench mortars during
the afternoon, On the other hand the affair may have been given away by
injudicious talking throughout the Division.
The GOC directs all Commanding
Officers to impress on all ranks the necessity for absolute secrecy with
regard to impending operations. They are never to be mentioned or talked
over except as a matter of duty. Offenders against this order will be most
severely dealt with.
Surrey Mirror
Friday 16 June 1916
MISSING.
ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT.
(836), Lce.-Sergt. A. F. Maspero Leatherhead
Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Saturday 30 December 1916
ROLL OF HONOUR. BRAVE SURREY MEN
FALLEN IN THE WAR.
LEATHERHEAD AND DISTRICT
MARCH. [seemingly a layout error - should have been in the next section
MAY, as none listed for APRIL]
MASPERO, Corpl. Albert Francis, Royal Warwicks, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. A.
Maspero, The Crescent, Leatherhead
His life
Albert Maspero was born on 7 September 1889 and baptised at St Mary
and St Nicholas, Leatherhead's Parish Church, on 12 March 1891. He was
aged 26 when he died.
His father was William Angelo Maspero, born 29 September 1849, from
Carshalton, Surrey. William was the son of Innocenzo Maspero, a
Blacksmith, born 1794 in Capiago, Como, Italy, and Susan Daniels, born
about 1817, thought to have been from Maidenhead, Berkshire, died 1875.
Both William's parents died at Carshalton. William was a Watchmaker and
Jeweller.
His mother was Martha Sarah Ann Cooke, born about 1849, a Dress Maker, the
daughter of George Isaac Cooke, a Cheesemonger.
They were married on 25 September 1870 at St Leonard's, Shoreditch,
Middlesex.
Albert's siblings were: Minnie Elizabeth b 1871, Ellen Julia Martha b
1873, William George b 1875, Charles Harold b 1877, Angelo Wallace b 1879,
Ernest Innocenzo b 1881, Percy Reginald b 1881, Alexander Herbert b 1884,
Daisy Sarah Florence b 1886, Gwendoline Elsa b 1888, Arthur Geoffrey
1891.
Albert was living with his family in the High Street Leatherhead in the
1891 and 1901 Censuses, the preceding and following entries being Gregorys
the Bakers, and Booths Yard. Between 1905 and 1906 they had moved to The
Crescent.
from a 1911 Leatherhead & District Directory
In the 1911 Census his parents were living at 2 London Street (The
Crescent), Leatherhead - the rest of the family had either dispersed or
were elsewhere when the Census form was completed.
Albert was recorded in the 1911 Census as living with two of his sisters
at 12 Wigorn Road, Warley Nr Birmingham:
Ellen Julia Maspero
38 Head of Household: Designer of Jewellery
Daisy Sarah Florence Maspero 25 sister, Teacher of
Dress Cutting
Albert Francis Maspero
21 brother, Engineer's Clerk,
Agricultural implt mks
He was apparently not following in the family business. When he died
probate was granted to his sister Ellen, who was also the grantee of his
effects.
After WW1
Albert's parents were living in the Crescent in 1920. The West Sussex
Gazette, Thursday 26 February 1920 reported that
"Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Maspero, who have resided in Leatherhead for upwards
of 50 years, sailed last week-end for S. Africa where they intend to live
in future."
Martha, Albert's mother died in 1926 in Rondebosch, Cape Town, South
Africa. William, his father, died in Capetown about 1928. It appears that
their son Angelo was a successful Dairyman there. Their eldest son William
George had emigrated to South Africa for health reasons and died there in
December 1916.
Albert Maspero is also remembered on these memorials
Leatherhead Town Memorial
Leatherhead RBL Roll of
Honour, Leatherhead Parish Church
Ladies War Shrine, Leatherhead Parish
Church
Church Lads Brigade Memorial
Tryptich, All Saints Leatherhead
Surrey
in the Great War
the website editor would like to add
further information on this casualty
e.g. a photo of him, and of any recollections within his family
last updated 10 Sep 20