Death of a Particularly Brave Bedford

Friday 14th January 1916: the adjutant of the 1st Battalion, currently at Bray-sur-Somme tells us that Sergeant Albert Higgins from West Ham in Essex was killed about two o’clock this morning whilst out repairing barbed wire in no man’s land. This is, sadly, a relatively common occurrence but Sergeant Higgins’ death is made more poignant by the fact that he did not quite live a see his name in the newspapers, for having been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery – an award second only to the Victoria Cross(1).

Source: X550/2/5

(1) He is buried in Carnoy Military Cemetery – his death is given erroneously as 13th January on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and in Soldiers Died in the Great War.