The Derby Alsbury's
- My grandfather, Charles Edward Alsbury (died 1979), lived in Derby
at 231 Portland Street. The house was not far from Derby County's football
ground - known as the Baseball Ground - and looking across the recreation
field behind the house, and the railway line beyond, you could see the
Rolls-Royce factory where he had worked in payroll and accounts. He had
worked there all his life except for during World War I, in which he had
served first in the Derbyshire Imperial Yeomanry and later in the Durham
Light Infantry before being taken prisoner-of-war.
- Born in 1896 Charles Edward was the only surviving son of Charles
Alsbury (1865-1927) and his wife, Sarah Ann Sandall. It is this Charles,
whose birthplace I am still unsure of. His parents George and Harriet were
from Corston (near Bath) where they were married on the 12th October 1851.
By 1865 they were living in Hope Street, Derby but their movements in between
are uncertain. Family tradition suggested that Charles was born in the Bristol
area, but the 1871 Census indicates Derby and the 1881 Census records Holyhead
(in Wales) as his birthplace ! After George's death in 1872, Harriet was
married again to a William Tufnell. The known children of George and Harriet
are William George (1851-1923), Samuel (1853-1908), James (born 1858), Sarah
(1863-1865), Charles (1864-1927), Mary Ann (1865-1868) and John (1871-1955).
- One of Samuel's sons, James (1880-1914), is commemorated on the
cenotaph near Derby railway station having been killed whilst on active
service during the first world war. James Alsbury was a Leading Seaman on
the 'Good Hope', flagship of Admiral Cradock at the battle of Coronel in
November 1914. This encounter off the coast of Chile with the 'Scharnhorst'
and 'Gneisenau' under the command of Admiral Graf von Spee was tragically
one-sided and at 7.50 pm, already on fire amidships, the 'Good Hope' with
guns still firing suddenly blew up. There was no prospect of rescue of
survivors from the icy sea.
©C_Alsbury 1996 all rights reserved