Private Albert Walter Figgitt (1895-1928) was the second of four children of Hubert and Emily Jane Figgitt. Albert had been a groom in Childswickham in 1911. The Figgitt family moved to Wickhamford from Aston Subedge in January 1914 when their two youngest children are recorded as enrolling at Badsey School. Albert’s older brother, William John Figgitt, who also served during the war, was already working at Wickhamford.
Albert’s surviving service papers are patchy but it appears that he enlisted on 15th May 1917 when his occupation was given as market gardener. At some point he was in the 364th Reserve Employment Company (No 17858), which involved salvage work. He joined the Royal Flying Corps on 23rd March 1918, as an air mechanic, class 3 and was transferred to the R.A.F. the next week, as a Private, 2nd Class. His role here was as a batman. After the end of the War he was transferred to the R.A.F. Reserve (No 146712) on 4th March 1919. He was recalled from the R.A.F. Reserve on 11th February 1921 and the last entry on his service record is dated 12th May 1921. After the war some of his medical examination papers from early 1922 show that he suffered badly from rheumatism and walked only with the aid of a stick. (Some of his service papers mistakenly refer to him as ‘Alfred’ Walter Figgitt, but he was always known as ‘Walter’.)
His family home was 3 Council Houses, Pitchers Hill and he is buried in Wickhamford Churchyard.