Marine ALBERT STEPHEN KERSLEY

Albert Kersley was born in Odiham on 29th December 1904[1].  His parents were Joseph Albert, a farm labourer, and Annie Kersley and in 1911 the family living in West Street[2] included his two sisters, Elsie and Jane Elizabeth, and an older brother, Charles William. 

From the H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour we learn more about Albert’s life.  “He attended the local school at Odiham, leaving at the age of 14 to take a job as a garden boy.  The job didn’t last long and he decided to join the Royal Marines.   Having fulfilled a 12 year commitment, Albert left the Marines and was put on the reserve list.“

In 1926 Albert married Phoebe Hicks[3] and in 1939 Albert was recorded as a General Labourer Heavy Worker on the 1939 Register, where we also find that they were living at Mill Corner, North Warnborough[4].  However, with the threat of war in 1938 Albert was called back out of reserve.[5]

In May 1941 after refuelling at Hvalfjord, HMS Hood returned to Scapa Flow and on 22nd May, together with the battleship Prince of Wales and six destroyers set out to follow up a report that the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen had left Bergen.  The next evening, when south of Iceland, they altered course following receipt of an Enemy Sighting Report.   In the early hours of 24th May the destroyers were given permission to reduce speed due to the pounding they were receiving from heavy seas and, therefore were some way behind Hood.  By 05.52 Hood was c. 25,000 yards from the lead German ship, the Prinz Eugen, and opened fire.  At 0600 hours HMS Hood was hit after a salvo of return fire, following which she blew up and sank within three to four minutes.  Of a crew of over 1,419 on board only three survived.[6]

Albert is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial as well as the Odiham War Memorial.  On Remembrance Sunday each year a cross for him is put on the War Memorial site.