Pte Albert Edward Hill, 200054, 1/5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, died in Palestine on November 3rd, 1917, from wounds sustained in the battle for Gaza.

In his last letter to his invalid sister Minnie at 38 Cowper Street, Luton, Albert wrote: "We lost our platoon officer and three men on Monday morning. They were taken prisoners, so we had to go out last night to find 'Johnny Turk'. We waited on them and they ran right into my mate and I. We had a Lewis gun with us and gave them 'pepper.' I can tell you.

"But we had to retire as they were too strong for us. We had three of our chaps wounded. They were only six yards away from us, but when we opened our gunfire they soon scattered. We were out until four o'clock this morning, but I am just as happy as ever, so don't worry."

Albert was the son of the late Thomas (died 1898) and Julia Hill (died 1913). In the 1911 Census he, Minnie and their widowed mother were living at 18 Hampton Road, Luton. Albert was then a skating rink assistant.