BREMFORD, Albert Edward
(Service number MB1935)
| First Rank | Motor Mechanic | Last Rank | Chief Motor Mechanic |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 07/06/1886 | Place of Birth | Christchuch |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 6 December 1916 | Age | 30 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | |||
| Occupation | |||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs R. G. BREMFORD (wife), C/o Major Foden, Box 151, Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand | ||
Military Service
| Served with | Royal Navy | Served in | Navy |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Royal Naval Auxiliary Patrol (Motor-Boat Service) | ||
| Date | |||
| Transport | Orontes | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 23 March 1951 | Age | 64 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Timaru Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Albert Edward Bremford was born on 7 June 1886 at Christchurch, the older son of Samuel and Ellen Bremford. Albert was educated at Timaru Main School. He married Ruby Gwladys Foden in 1914 at St Mary’s Church, Timaru.
A. E. Bremford was in a draft of recruits selected for British Naval Motorboat Patrol Service who were leaving New Zealand in early December 1916. On 6 December 1916, he engaged as a motor mechabic with the Royal Volunteer Naval Reserve (RVNR), naming his wife as next-of-kin – Mrs R. G. Bremford, C/o Major Foden, Box 151, Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. He may have left New Zealand per the Orontes. He enlisted on 6 December 1916 and served as a motor mechanic on HMS Hermione from 6 December 1916 till 21 May 1917. He was promoted to chief motor mechanic on 1 November 1917 and served with HMS Philomel.
Albert was at Southampton with the R.N.M.B.R. when his son was born on 25 July 1917 at Timaru. In January 1918 the name of Albert Edward Bremford, motor engineer, Perth Steet, Timaru, was drawn in the ballot. The Timaru Herald noted that e had enlisted in the motor patrol and left New Zealand in 1916, and that he was by then a chief mechanic in the Navy. As of 18 May 1918, he was invalided.
Albert died on 23 March 1951 and was buried in the Timaru Cemetery, ruby with him in 1960.
Note – the service number was allocated in New Zealand and used for embarkation. The number was not used in England by the Royal Navy. RNVR officers were not allocated service numbers.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [14 August 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [14 August 2021]; Timaru Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [14 August 2021]; School Admission record (Canterbury Branch NZSG) [14 August 2021]; Timaru Herald, 21 November 1916, 26 July 1917, 16 January 1918, Evening Post, 2 December 1916, Press, 4 December 1916 (Papers Past) [14 August 2021]; Military record (The National Archives, reference ADM 337/97/929) [14 August 2021]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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