Albert Victor Job (known as Bert or Bertie) was born in Swansea on 25 May 1895. He was the fourth of the seven children of Harry & Sarah Ann Job.

He was baptized at St Thomas, Swansea on 9 October 1895. In the register, his parents address was given as 43 Sebastopol St and his fathers occupation was Fitter.

By 1901, Bertie had been passed to another family to be cared for. The census lists him – still at 43 Sebastopol St – as the adopted child of George and Eliza Hobbs. Descendants of Hobbs family kindly provided the following: Your inquiry piqued our interest to learn more about the circumstances of Bertie’s adoption. We believe this was probably not a formal adoption but simply a caring, long-time neighbour and friend, helping out a struggling mother. This is based upon the following. In 1901 Bertie aged 5, 'adopted son', was living with the elderly couple, George and Eliz Hobbs, at 43 Sebastapol St. At the same time his mother, Sarah Ann Job, born Pilot, was living nearby at 49 Sebastapol St, with Bertie’s 4 siblings aged 13,12,8,3. Bertie’s father, Henry Job, was at that time located on a ship docked in Bristol. He was the 2nd Engineer of the ship with his father, David Job, being the 1st Engineer. With her husband regularly away on maritime duties it would have been a significant burden for Sarah to care for her 5 young children. George & Eliz Hobbs, with no children of their own, would happily have helped out in any way. George & Eliz were long time friends and neighbours of the Pilot family from at least 1881 when the Pilot family, including Bertie’s teenage mother, had lived next door at 44 Sebastapol St.

In September 1902, Bertie was admitted to the St Thomas Council School for Boys. The record confirms that he had returned to live with his parents at 49 Sebastopol St. The family remained there until the time of the 1911 census, when Bertie was listed as having started work as a Wagon Painter.

When war was declared in 1914, Bertie – along with his older brother William, also a member of the Brigade – would have left their home in Swansea to go to War. From that time onwards, they would have seen little of their family or friends, other than a few short periods of leave.

Following the war, Bert returned to his family in Swansea and sadly, very shortly after (in late 1919), lost his mother.

In 1921, he was living with his family at 41 Balaclava St and working as a Wagon Repairer at the Lincoln Wagon Works, Port Tenant. The census shows him with his widowed father, elder sister and her family and 2 younger brothers.

On 3 September 1923, Bert married Gwendoline Davis at St Thomas, Swansea. Bert and Gwendoline went on to have 2 children, Ada Marian (1926-2020, known as Marian) and Frederick Ivor (1930-2007).

Shortly after they married, Bert and Gwendoline moved in with Gwendoline’s parents at 9 Balaclava St, where they lived for the remainder of their lives (and their daughter Marian lived there for her entire life). The family appeared in the 1939 Register with Bert shown as a Wagon Repairer, Carpenter & ARP Warden.

Bert Job passed away at the age of 87 on 18 August 1982 at 9 Balaclava St and was survived by his 2 children.

Bertie Job joined the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade in the summer of 1911 along with his brother William and was allocated the service number 582. Unfortunately, his service record has not survived, but using the surviving scraps of information, it is possible to piece together elements of his service.

Dvr Job and his family lived in Swansea, the home of the 1st Glamorgan Battery. It is therefore likely that he was a member of this unit right through to the start of the War attending regular drill sessions at the Drill Hall on Richardson Street and summer camps. He was only 16 years old when he enlisted which under the usual minimum age, so it possible that he misled his recruiter (which was common) or he initially served as a musician.

Along with the rest of the Brigade, he would have been mobilized at the start of the war, initially travelling to Shrewsbury in late August 1914 and then moving to Northampton shortly after where they trained until December 1914. The Brigade then moved to Cambridge where they remained until May 1915 when they moved to Bedford.

Bertie’s Medal Index Card confirms that he, along with the other 401 men of the Brigade, travelled from Southampton to Le Havre on the night of 21/22 November 1915. From there they moved to the Somme area, where they underwent further training, including a period in the front-line South-East of Albert (an area that marked the southern edge of the Somme battlefield just 6 months later).

Just before Christmas 1915, the Brigade withdrew from the front-line and in January 1916, received orders to rejoin the rest of the 53rd Welsh Division in Egypt.

The Brigade shipped from Marseilles to Alexandria in February 1916 and moved to Beni Salama near Cairo to acclimatise. A surviving photograph of Dvr Job and 2 comrades in front of the Sphinx confirms that he made that move and a further group picture of A Sub, 1/1st Glamorgan Battery points to his service with that gun/unit at the time.

No further records have been found, however it is likely that he remained with the Brigade throughout the campaign, being involved in Suez Canal Defences (1916), the 3 Battles of Gaza and march into Jerusalem (1917) and the subsequent push through the Judean Hills until the defeat of the Turkish Armies (1918).

It is not known when Dvr Job returned to Swansea, however the majority of men returned home and were demobilized in March/April 1919.

For his service in the Great War, Driver Bert Job was awarded the 1914/14 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He was later awarded the Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1923 to reflect his long and efficient service.