Private Albert Ernest Janaway
| Date of Birth | c. 1896 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 21 |
| Date of Death | 21 June 1917 |
| Service Number | 13146 |
| Military Service | X Corps Cyclist Battalion Army Cyclist Corps |
| Merton Address | 25 Courtney Road, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Albert was born in 1896 to Frederick and Mary Ann “Minnie” Thorpe, and baptised on the 15 March at All Saints, Lambeth. His father passed away when he was very young (before 1901), and his mother got remarried, to a man called Joseph Thorpe, who worked as an engine driver and an electrician’s labourer. Albert had one full brother, Frederick James, who was 6 years older than him and was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army during the war. He also had a younger half-brother, Arthur Thorpe.
The family moved from Lambeth to Streatham, and finally to 25 Courtney Road in Mitcham.
Albert worked as an errand boy when he was 15, and became a belt maker as an adult. He enlisted on the 6 December, 1915. He was 5’7” and weighed 129 lbs, and suffered from chorea (involuntary muscle movements, sometimes a symptom of Huntington’s disease), which caused some concern about his heart, but he was nonetheless declared fit for service, and arrived in Rouen on the 21 September, 1916.
He died of wounds to his shoulder, abdomen, and arms, and left £38 to his mother. His personal effects included letters, photographs, a bill holder, pocket wallet, fountain pen, metal mirror, scissors, purse, registration card, and an insurance card, as well as a watch that apparently went missing, as his mother sent a letter requesting its return, if it could be found.