Royal Air Force
Albert Victor Birt was born in Painswick in 1877, the son of William and Matilda Birt. They had nine children, with only four showing as having survived by the time of the 1911 Census. Sadly Matilda Birt died in 1910.
Prior to military service, Albert had lived with his father and sister Julia at Longridge, Bull Cross, near Stroud and his occupation was a wood turner.
He was a single man and aged 40 years and four months when he attested for military service, for the duration of hostilities, on 12 July 1917.
His Service Record at the National Archives (AIR 79/1089/121597) states service commenced on that date but it is possible that he did not physically join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) until 22 January 1918, when he served at the No 1 Aircraft Repair Depot (possibly at Farnborough) before transferring to No 5 (E) Aircraft Repair Depot (believed to be at Henlow, Buckinghamshire but his CWGC Register entry says Cambridge) on 22 July 1918.
In April 1918 the RFC and Royal Naval Air Service were merged to become the Royal Air Force.
Birt having started out as an Air Mechanic Third Class rose to be a Corporal in the RAF, prior to his discharge at Chiseldon on 14 March 1919. His Service Record does not state any reason for his discharge and does not mention him as receiving any disability pension.
He died at Stroud Green Hospital on 10 April 1919 and the circumstances around his death were reported in the Gloucester Journal of 19 April 1919; he was 42 years old.
An inquest into his death heard that Birt had left the Army (RAF) about a month earlier and had been planning to take up employment in Manchester. On the evening of 28 March he had been drinking in a local public house with some friends and acquaintances and according to the publican he was not drunk when he left. He had always considered him a good natured and friendly individual with no known enemies. On the morning of 29 March he was discovered by a local resident lying injured on a green near to Slad Vicarage and it was thought he had met with an accident. He had a wound to the back of his head, a punctured lip and a black eye.
His sister was summoned and a doctor was called who stitched his wound.
Birt remained semi-conscious and eventually the police were notified and on 1 April he was admitted to Stroud Green Hospital. He never recovered and on 10 April he died from a brain haemorrhage followed by pneumonia. An inquest was held on 18 April and the inquest jury returned a verdict of ‘murder against some person or persons unknown’. A watch and chain, which had some value, belonging to Birt were found to be missing and possibly the murder was the result of a robbery.
Albert Birt was buried in Sheepscombe (St John) Churchyard Extension, where his grave is marked with a CWGC headstone. Birt was probably discharged into the Reserve, pending the formal and permanent end to hostilities and therefore was still regarded as ‘serving’ and therefore recorded in the CWGC Register of casualties from the Great War.
Researched by Graham Adams 21 March 2014