In Birr Cross Roads Cemetery, Belgium is the Commonwealth War Grave of 1816 Private Albert Edward Wilmot, serving with the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 19/05/1915.

The son of the late Edward Robert and Elizabeth Ann Wilmot. He was a native of Bishop Auckland.

Harry Grey writes:
Albert Edward Wilmot was my grand uncle.

Albert and his brother Ernest enlisted in 1913 and joined the 6th Battalion DLI, which I believe was a TA battalion. Their brother in law, Harry Grey, was in the Northumberland Fusiliers. From the records I have looked at they all went to France on 19th April 1915. They were sent to the Ypres area. During the second battle of Ypres, during May, Albert was killed, one month to the day after his arrival in France, his brother Ernest was seriously wounded and Harry Grey I believe suffered from exposure to gas which I think was used for the first time at the second battle of Ypres.

Albert Wilmot is buried at Birr Cross Roads Cemetery. I visited his grave in 2006 and plan to return on the 100th anniversary of his death.

A Fragment of Family History

In 1892 Albert Edward Wilmot was born, the son of Edward Robert and Elizabeth Ann Wilmot of Bishop Auckland. In 1893 another son was born, Ernest Wilmot. These were my grand uncles. In 1895 they had a sister, Eleanor Elizabeth, my grandmother. In 1913 at the age of 18 she would marry Harry Grey, my grandfather, who I was named after.

The Wilmots, like many parents who had children around this time, could not possibly comprehend what was to befall them. By May 1915 their eldest son would be killed (age 23) their youngest son would be seriously wounded (age 22) but would survive and their son in law would be gassed and would survive. In terms of loss, compared to what other families suffered, they might well have been regarded as lucky!”

Albert Edward Wilmot is remembered at Bishop Auckland on B140.03,  B140.05,  B140.12 and B140.27,  at South Church on S144.01 and in S144.05 and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 123.