Public Contributions:

Albert Harold Griffiths was formerly Albert Harold Unsworth before he was adopted and became the foster son of John Griffiths, of 24 Victoria St., Hawera and Mrs J. Griffiths (mother), Courtenay Plac...e, Wellington. He was a son of my great-grandfather, John Barnes Unsworth and therefore my great uncle. My father (Harold Nalton (Bunny) Unsworth) was given his British War Medal after World War 1, presumably because Dad's father, Frank Charles Unsworth, was his oldest living blood relative and Albert Harold had no known offspring. I will ensure that his medal is passed on to my son Scott Anthony Unsworth. Read More

He was born Albert Harold Unsworth on 28 January 1880. After the death of his mother, Eliza Unsworth, on 7 September 1883, his father, John Barnes, arranged for Albert to be adopted by a businessman,... John Griffiths. He had a business of some sort in Courtenay Place, Wellington but his last known address was also listed as 24 Victoria Street Hawera. As a final parting gesture, John Barnes opened up a Post Office Savings Bank Account for young Albert, depositing in it 3 gold soveriegns. Albert went on to become a dental mechanic after he left school and worked for a dentist by the name of H.P. Rawson in Wellington. He changed his name to AH Griffiths after his adopted parents surname on 24 April 1914. His last NZ address was Tio Tio Road, Wellington. First World War service details are as follows: Body of Embarkation: Main Body Place of Embarkation: Wellington, New Zealand Embarkation Date: 16 October 1914 Transport: HMNZT 7 HMNZT 10 Vessel: Limerick or Arawa Destination: Suez, Egypt He started as a Sergeant, but due to two convictions for drunkenness and being AWOL, his rank was reduced down to corporal then gunner. He sustained 2 injuries at Gallipoli; the second one in the neck caused his death. The following is an excerpt from The Plimmerton Community website: On 9 October 1915 two gunners #2/829 Isaac Harold Plimmer and #2/673 Albert Harold Griffiths were reported to have been Killed in Action. [viii] It is possible that both died as a result of a premature explosion of a shell from their battery as there were at least two reported occasions of this happening with the 2nd battery during the Gallipoli campaign. Albert was decorated with the the British War medal (which is the possession of Tony Unsworth) and the Victory Medal (location unknown). Read More

Albert Harold Griffiths enlisted the NZ Expeditionary Force in Wellington on 9 September, 1914. His Attestation papers state that he was a 31 year old dentist from Tio Road Seatoun and his next of ki...n was his foster mother Mrs Jane Griffiths. On enlistment he was 5'4" and weighed 10st 12lb and had brown eyes and black hair and was in good health. He joined the NZ Field Artillery with a regimental number of 2/673 on 9/9/14. On 15/10/14 he left as a corporal on the naval ships HMNZT 7, HMNZT 10 Limerick or Arawa and sailed for 50 days to Zeitoun Camp, Cairo, Egypt, arriving on 4/12/14. On 29/12/14, he was found guilty on the 2 charges of drunkenness on active service and Absent without Leave. His rank was reduced from Corporal to Gunner in the ranks on 31/12/14. He was transferred to the 2nd Battery NZ Field Artillery on 21/1/15. In March 1915, the NZ Field Artillery now part of the ANZAC Corps moved to Alexander for embarkation for the landings at Gallipoli. The 2nd Battery was landed at ANZAC Cove 26/27th April 1915 and continued to support the infantry units through the following months. In August 1915, preparations for a major offensive, the Battle for Chunuk Bair had been completed. At 4.30 pm, 6 August 1915, the initial bombardment of Turkish positions started. It was during the first phases after fierce fighting that the Wellington Battalion captured Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915. On 9/8/15, during the invasion of ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli, Albert was wounded in the neck and admitted to the Australian field hospital at Mudras. He returned to ANZAC Cove on 28/9/15. On 9 October 1915, two gunners, Isaac Harold Plimmer and Albert Harold Griffiths were reported to have been Killed in Action. It is possible that both died as a result of a premature explosion of a shell from their battery as there were at least two reported occasions of this happening with the 2nd battery during the Gallipoli campaign He was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914-1915 Star. These medals were sent to Reginald Herbert Webb, Barrister and Solicitor, Wellington. As Albert’s foster mother had died, the medals were given to his foster-father, Mr John Griffiths. In Albert’s will, he asked that if Mr and Mrs Griffiths died, all his worldly goods be passed on to his oldest blood relative, his brother, Frank Unsworth (my grandfather), and his half-sister Louisa Ellen Gambrill. My grandfather, Frank, passed on the British War Medal to my father, Harold Nalton (Bunny) Unsworth who passed it on to me. I will ensure that it also passed on to my son, Scott Unsworth. I do not know what happened to the other 2 medals. His memorial plaque is on the Chunuk Bair (NZ) Memorial, Panel 8. Read More

Albert Harolds memorial at Chunuk Bair, taken on April 25 2015, the centenary of the invasion of Gallipoli. Alongside is the poppy that Tony Unsworth gave his neighbour to place there in remembrance ...of the ultimate sacrifice that Albert Harold Unsworth made. Read More