Albert DeWitt
Albert DeWitt was the youngest child of Charles William DeWitt, and the youngest brother to John Charles DeWitt.
Albert died in Mesopotamia during the war there while serving the British Army. He was said to have been given a medal of honour for his deeds of galantry in the military. The medal was kept by the family of John Charles DeWitt. However, the medal in a shape of a cross was lost during the Japanese occupation in Malaya during the Second World War. To avoid persecution from the Japanese Imperial Army, the British medal was said to be buried at the family residence, then at No.2887, Chan Teck Chai Avenue, Limbongan, Melaka.
Efforts made by family members to excavate the area after the Second World war proved to be unfruitful and the medal was considered to be lost forever. Rumour has it that the medal was a Victorian Cross but was confirmed by the British Embassy here that he was not a recipient of such an award. The source of the search was from the Ministry of Defence, Army Historical Branch obtained by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London on the 11th March 1994.
Efforts to determine the type of medal he received has been unsuccessful.
Recently, inquiries have been made regarding Albert DeWitt via ordinary mail (to England) to the National Army Museum, The Oriental and Indian Office of the British Library, The Army Medal Office of the Ministry of Defence and to The Keeper of the Public Records but all have been unsuccessful in obtaining any information on him. However, from the replies, it seems that all records relating to personnel who served the British military before the Second World War have been transferred to the Public Records Office in Surrey, England. This seems to be our best bet to receive any information regarding Albert DeWitt.
The only catch is that The Public Records Office does not entertain reqauest for information via mail. Instead, they require the researcher to come personally to their office to be registered and only then can the researcher view the records freely for themselves.
Find out how far have we gone in the search for the military records of Albert DeWitt and to determine the type of medal that was awarded to him. Just click on "The Search So Far....".
