Albert Shepherd was born at Royston, near Barnsley, Yorkshire, on 11th January 1897. The son of a miner, Shepherd followed his father into the pits, working as a pony driver at New Monckton Colliery. On 4 August 1915, he enlisted in one of Lord Kitchener’s Service Battalions: the 12th Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

With the 12^th Battalion he was posted to France, serving during the Battle of the Somme and the Third Battle of Ypres.

On 20^th November 1917, during the Battle of Cambrai, 12 KRRC advanced against the formidable Hindenburg Line. Rifleman Shepherd served as orderly to Captain A. Hoare, who was commanding B Company. The company met fierce resistance, coming under devastating sniper and machine-gun fire.

Amidst the chaos, Shepherd rallied the survivors, ordering them to maintain steady fire and giving them courage by his example. Under intense fire, he then crossed seventy yards of open ground to summon help from an approaching tank before returning safely to lead his men once more. His courage was extraordinary, but as the Chronicle records, Shepherd had already proved his gallantry:

After the battle, only 34 of the 97 men who had gone into action with B Company remained, with Shepherd among them. Despite suffering heavy losses, B Company had achieved their objective, and Shepherd was awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage. His full citation reads:

“For most conspicuous bravery as a company runner. When his company was held up by a machine gun at point-blank range he volunteered to rush the gun, and, though ordered not to, rushed forward and threw a Mills bomb, killing two gunners and capturing the gun. The company, on continuing its advance, came under heavy enfilade machine-gun fire. When the last officer and the last non-commissioned officer had become casualties, he took command of the company, ordered the men to lie down, and himself went back some seventy yards under severe fire to obtain the help of a tank. He then returned to his company, and finally led them to their last objective. He showed throughout conspicuous determination and resource.”

After receiving the Victoria Cross, Shepherd returned home to Royston to a hero’s welcome. Thousands gathered at the station to meet him, and he was presented with a gold watch and chain by the Patriotic Fund, as well as a Bible from the scholars of his local Primitive Methodist Chapel.

After returning to France, he was promoted to Lance-Corporal in August 1918 and Corporal the following month. He was wounded three times during the war and, in addition to the Victoria Cross, received the French Croix de Guerre and Médaille Militaire. Demobilised in January 1919, he returned to Yorkshire, where he lived until his death on 24^th October 1966, aged 69.

In an obituary notice, Major (formerly Sergeant) E. Cooper VC, a fellow Yorkshireman and comrade in 12 KRRC, wrote:

Corporal Shepherd’s medals, including the Victoria Cross, 1914–15 Star, British War Medal (1914–20), and Victory Medal (1914–19), are proudly displayed in The Rifleman’s Museum.