Second Lieutenant Lewis Albert E. S. Bilton
1st Battalion, the Buffs (The East Kent Regiment)
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 1895
Place of Birth: Cardiff, Wales
Date of Death: 23 April 1917 aged 22.
Buried: St. Patricks Cemetery, Loos. Remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. James’ Church Memorial Window, Teignmouth, Devon.
Awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
2nd Lieutenant Lewis Albert Edward Samuel Bilton age 22.
Born in Cardiff in 1895 he was the son of George and Annie Bilton, Forest Gate, London.
In 1901 Lewis was living with his mother, sister and members of his extended family in West Ham.
Albert enlisted with Royal Engineers as a Corporal, 2nd class.
East Kent Regiment (The Buffs)
Cap Badge
He was promoted and Lewis was commissioned as Temporary 2nd Lieutenant with East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) in December 1916 and he disembarked in France on 6 February 1917.
His parents were now living at the London Hotel, Teignmouth, Devon. Here they received the following telegram as reported in the teignmouth Post:
“Lt. Lewis Bilton killed in action. Mr and Mrs G A Bilton received a telegram from the Secretary of WO communicating ‘regret to inform 2nd Lt L E A S Bilton, East Kent Regt. Kia 23 April’; he was an only son aged 22 and had only been at the Front a few weeks.”
Teignmouth Post
27 April 1917
Lewis was serving with 1st Battalion Buffs, East Kent Regiment at Battle of Doiran when he was killed in action on 23 April 1917.
Buried in St. Patricks Cemetery, Loos. Remembered on Seafront Memorial and St. James’ Church Memorial Window, Teignmouth.
Grave Inscription reads: “Forever with the Lord”.
His father George Albert Bilton MStJ served as a hospital orderly with the Voluntary Aid Detachement V.A.D at Newton Abbot V.A Hospital throughout the war.
