Acting Corporal Albert Newton Prior Hampshire Regiment, Military Foot Police, ARP, Red Cross Society
The Man Albert Newton Prior was born on Saturday 31st March 1894 in Farnham, Surrey, son of Albert John, a Draper who owned his own business and Elizabeth nee Blanks who worked with her husband, also as a Draper. Albert junior was the only son of three children, Gladys Lilian born in 1892 and Evelyn Wotton 1896.
By 1911 the family were living a 12 Queens Road, Aldershot and Albert junior, now aged 17 had begun working for his father as a Draper, possibly as a salesman as the census shows him as working ‘away’ whereas the rest of the family were shown working at ‘home’. They also employed an 18-year-old servant Cecily Helen Gatters who lived with them.
Following the start of World War I on 4th August 1914, Albert enlisted into the 4th Battalion Hampshire Regiment as a Private with service number 2948. A few months later he was posted to Mesopotamia (Theatre 5a), the campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of war fought by the Allies against the Central Powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and mostly from the Ottoman Empire. Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. In terms of the modern nation-state, it corresponds with much of Iraq, Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, South-eastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders.
Albert transferred into the Military Foot Police as an Acting Corporal, a predecessor of the Royal Military Police, with a new service number P13721. He remained in the MFP after the War and posted to India for the Anglo-Afghan War which began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan invaded British India and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. The war resulted in the Afghans winning back control of foreign affairs from Britain, and the British recognizing Afghanistan as an independent nation. Albert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, War Medal 1914-18, Victory Medal and India General Service Medal with clasp ‘Afghanistan NWF 1919’.
Following his demobilisation, albert returned to his former trade as a Drapery Salesman and in the first quarter of 1922 aged 28 married Alice Cawthorne in Salisbury. They had they had one son Frank Newton born in November the same year and who later worked at the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India. By 1929 they were living at 31 Elmside in Guildford with his Mother Elizabeth and in 1935 at 80 Stoke Road. By 1939 Albert had joined the British Red Cross Society (BRCS) and Air Raid Precaution (ARP). From 1941 the ARP officially changed its title to Civil Defence Service to reflect the wider range of roles it then encompassed. Albert served with both during World War II and was awarded the Defence Medal.
Albert remained with the Civil Defence and BRCS after the war and was awarded the Civil Defence Long Service Medal for 15 years’ service and the Voluntary Medical Services Medal (silver version awarded until the 1960s) with 3 clasps representing 30 years in the Red Cross.
In later life Albert and Alice lived at 17 Stoke Road and he died on 11th September 1970 aged 76 leaving £3774.00.
By 1911 the family were living a 12 Queens Road, Aldershot and Albert junior, now aged 17 had begun working for his father as a Draper, possibly as a salesman as the census shows him as working ‘away’ whereas the rest of the family were shown working at ‘home’. They also employed an 18-year-old servant Cecily Helen Gatters who lived with them.
Following the start of World War I on 4th August 1914, Albert enlisted into the 4th Battalion Hampshire Regiment as a Private with service number 2948. A few months later he was posted to Mesopotamia (Theatre 5a), the campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of war fought by the Allies against the Central Powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and mostly from the Ottoman Empire. Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. In terms of the modern nation-state, it corresponds with much of Iraq, Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, South-eastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders.
Albert transferred into the Military Foot Police as an Acting Corporal, a predecessor of the Royal Military Police, with a new service number P13721. He remained in the MFP after the War and posted to India for the Anglo-Afghan War which began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan invaded British India and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. The war resulted in the Afghans winning back control of foreign affairs from Britain, and the British recognizing Afghanistan as an independent nation. Albert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, War Medal 1914-18, Victory Medal and India General Service Medal with clasp ‘Afghanistan NWF 1919’.
Following his demobilisation, albert returned to his former trade as a Drapery Salesman and in the first quarter of 1922 aged 28 married Alice Cawthorne in Salisbury. They had they had one son Frank Newton born in November the same year and who later worked at the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India. By 1929 they were living at 31 Elmside in Guildford with his Mother Elizabeth and in 1935 at 80 Stoke Road. By 1939 Albert had joined the British Red Cross Society (BRCS) and Air Raid Precaution (ARP). From 1941 the ARP officially changed its title to Civil Defence Service to reflect the wider range of roles it then encompassed. Albert served with both during World War II and was awarded the Defence Medal.
Albert remained with the Civil Defence and BRCS after the war and was awarded the Civil Defence Long Service Medal for 15 years’ service and the Voluntary Medical Services Medal (silver version awarded until the 1960s) with 3 clasps representing 30 years in the Red Cross.
In later life Albert and Alice lived at 17 Stoke Road and he died on 11th September 1970 aged 76 leaving £3774.00.
The Story The group of medals awarded to Albert Newton Prior were acquired from the Dix Noonan Webb auction on 13th January 2021. They were of interest because of the unusual double long service combination of the Civil Defence Long Service and Voluntary Medical Service Medals, the latter with three clasps.
A search on Ancestry.UK revealed enough information to enable Albert’s brief biography to be completed and interestingly, the 1939 census showed his membership of the British Red Cross Society and Air Raid Precautions, the latter confirming the probability of him being awarded the Defence Medal and possible later transfer into one of the UKs Civil Defence organisations.
An interesting combination.
A search on Ancestry.UK revealed enough information to enable Albert’s brief biography to be completed and interestingly, the 1939 census showed his membership of the British Red Cross Society and Air Raid Precautions, the latter confirming the probability of him being awarded the Defence Medal and possible later transfer into one of the UKs Civil Defence organisations.
An interesting combination.
Medal Details:
- 1914-15 Star: 2948 PTE.A.N.PRIOR HAMPS.R.
- 1914-18 British War Medal: 2948 PTE. A.N.PRIOR. HAMPS.R.
- Victory Medal: 2948 PTE. A.N.PRIOR. HAMPS R..
- India General Service Medal: LL. R.A P-1372 A.CPL. A.N.PRIOR. M.F.P.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- Civil Defence Long Service Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- Voluntary Medical Service Medal: ALBERT NEWTON PRIOR
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This page last updated 4 Feb 21