CHANCE, Albert H

Albert Chance lived in Oldswinford. He was a member of St. Mary's choir and attended Oldswinford CE School. At the start of the war he was a Territorial serving in the 7th Worcesters with many other men from Oldswinford and on 31st March 1915 the battalion crossed the Channel to France. From then on he was engaged in the fighting on the Western Front. At some point he was seriously wounded and on recovery he was transferred to the 9th Battalion and sent out to the Middle East. In Spring 1917 the Turks fell back from Kut and the British advanced through Ctesiphon and up river to Baghdad. The 9th Battalion led the main body of the Mesopotamian Force into the city on the 10th March. The fighting was over for a while, but in July 1918 the 39th Brigade was selected to join General Dunsterville's motorised force to cross the Caucasus mountains and Persian territory to Baku. Turks and Germans were thought to be capable of taking over the oil areas and the force was needed to help the fading control of the Russian government. The Worcesters stayed in Baku until June 1919, but Private Albert Chance was not one of those to come home. He probably died of disease, possibly in the base hospital at Baghdad or in the Caucasus. He is buried at Baghdad North Gate Cemetery (X A 7) and is commemorated on the Oldswinford church Memorial, but not on the Stourbridge Memorial.