An article appeared in the Express & Star on 9 March 1915, stating that Mr and Mrs Birch, of 17 Herbert Street, had been informed of the death of their son, Drummer A. Birch, of the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment, at the age of 28.
Albert Birch was born in about 1886. In 1901, he and his family were already at 17 Herbert Street, and the household consisted of Albert, his parents Harry and Ellen, his brother Harry and sisters May and Sarah. Albert was listed as a rope and twine maker. According to the newspaper article, Albert had served 12 months in the Army Service Corps and 8 years in the South Staffordshire Regiment, and he was “well-known throughout the regiment and in the music-halls of Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) as a clever comedian”.

However, I have not been able to find him listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site, nor on the Wolverhampton War Memorials site, and he is not listed in the Wolverhampton Roll of Remembrance. Could it be that he was not killed after all? As there are two men called Albert Birch born in 1886-1887 in Wolverhampton, it is difficult to pin down which of them is this man. One of these men, Albert Harold Birch, clearly did survive the war as he married Gladys M. Cooper in 1929. If anyone is able to provide more details about this man, I would be glad to hear from you!