Albert Edward Foot was born on November 9th, 1886 in England to James and Mary Jane Foot, one of their seven children. In 1907, when Albert was 20 years old, his parents moved the family to Canada, settling in Doon, Ontario. Albert, his father and his older brother James all worked as laborers. Soon after arriving in Canada, Albert fell in love with Florence Elizabeth Wright, also a British immigrant. They married and welcomed a baby girl Violet in May 1911. Albert was working as a carpenter in the summer of 1914 when war was declared.
Albert waited until the early winter months of 1915 to volunteer, doing so on January 30th in Galt (Cambridge). Albert was an infantry soldier for the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Belgium. In September 1915, Albert’s younger brother Herold volunteered to fight as well. They were never able to fight side-by-side however, as Albert, then 29 years old, was killed in action on October 13th 1915. Albert and Herold’s older brother Walter then volunteered in December of 1915. Both Herald and Walter survived the war and returned to their families in the Waterloo Region. Private Albert Foot is buried at the St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery in Belgium.
Service Number: 402081
“Canadian Virtual War Memorial: Albert Foot,” Veterans Affairs Canada, accessed March 20, 2015, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/444266?Albert%20Foot
