Date of Birth 11th March 1890
Place of Birth Lymington, Hampshire
Date of Marriage 10 July 1910
Place of Marriage Lymington, Hampshire
Service Number 242261
Ex number 020279
Rank/Rating Private
Service 1/5th Gloucestershire
Company D. Associated Southampton
Died June 1917
Death Location Southmead Hospital, Bristol
Life Before the War
Albert was born on 11th March 1890 in the Union Workhouse, Lymington, Hampshire.
He was registered as Bertie and his mother is given as Louisa Brewer a washerwoman of Brockenhurst, no father is registered.
In the 1891 census Albert was shown as being a boarder living with Stephen (b.1853) and Katherine (b.1844) Ainsworth and their daughter Florence (b.1882) at 85 Cannon Street, Lymington. Stephen was a postman.
By the 1901 census Albert was now registered as Bertie Ainsworth (but was not adopted) and living at 248 Buckland Road, Lymington, Southampton.
Stephen was born in Milford, Hampshire and Katherine was born in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland. Their daughter was born in Lymington Hampshire.
The Sailors Home Oxford Street.Southampton.
On his marriage on 10th July 1910 Bert is recorded as living at the sailors home in Oxford Street, Southampton. He was working as a ship’s fireman.
He married Beatrice Eleanor Harrison in Lymington Church, Lymington, Hampshire.
They had five children:
Molly Edytha (born in Portsmouth 1909-2007)
Dorothy Constance Maud (1912-1976)
Beatrice Martha P (1913-1952)
Leonard Alfred Frederick William (6th August 1915 – 1969)
Noel Edward Stephen Brewer (1916 – 2000)
In the 1911 census Beatrice was living with Molly Edytha in 2 rooms at 4 York Road, Freemantle, Southampton.
In 1913 the family lived at 127 Crown Street, Southampton and in 1915 they lived at Ivy Cottage, Bassett, Southampton.
From 1916 Albert and his family are recorded as living at “Tugela” 11 Lemon Road, Millbrook, Southampton. Following Bert’s death his wife Beatrice continued to live at the address until she died in 1959.
Dorothy Brewer continued to live there until she died in 1976.
Military Service
Bertie (Albert) Brewer enlisted for First World War Service in May 1916. In September 1916 he was drafted to France where he took part in battles on the Western front.
It was during the battle of the Somme that he was severely wounded and was invalided home on June 3rd 1917, he died in hospital at Bristol of wounds received in action.
Bert was awarded the General Service and Victory Medals. He is remembered at Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton in a military grave number M.6.270.
Hollybrook Cemetery CWCG graves
N.B: The Union Workouse at Lymington was built in 1837 and was situated on New Street, Lymington, Hampshire.
You can find out more information about the workhouse together with photographs on the following website http://www.workhouses.org.uk and we thank Peter Higginbotham for permission to include the website link.
Researched by Brenda White March 2014, with input from Bert’s great niece Janet Reed who supplied the photographs and some information for his story, we appreciate her interest.
