Albert Davey Semmence was born in Wymondham, Norfolk on 29 Nov 1874. He enlisted as a private on 3 Oct 1892. He served in the South African war against the Boers and was with the 2nd battalion in India before WW1. He served in Mesopotamia and was killed in action at Shaiba.
The battle of Shaiba on 14 April 1915 was one of the Norfolk Regiment’s hardest fought engagements in Mesopotamia. Sergeant-Major Semmence was killed along with 3 officers and 30 other ranks, as the regiment, under the command of Colonel Peebles, attacked the Turks entrenched north of Barjisiyeh. At a distance of 350 yards they were pinned down by rifle and machine-gun fire, but they were ordered to capture the trenches ‘at all costs’.
Sergeant-Major Semmence is commemorated on the War Memorial cross at St Matthew’s Church, Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich.
Regimental Details | Soldiers
