While working as a messenger boy in Leeds Albert saw the famous recruitment poster of Lord Kitchener and, despite being only 15 years old at the time, decided to lie about his age and enlist in the British Army. In his own words "I thought: have a go, Joe. I didn't give a damn about anything." he later recalled "I was a fool. I wanted excitement, I wanted something to do"

At just 15 years old Albert was posted in the trenches of Arras, seeing Germany's first use of the chlorine gas in the war. He described the experience fighting in the trenches as "terrible" adding "You got used to them. But you never knew when you were going to slip into a shell-hole full of water. I was there for part of the summer and part of the winter. The winter was terrible. But there were dug-outs where you could get a cup of tea or go in for a rest. Otherwise you were out on the firing step all the time." - The Irish Times interview

After nearly a year serving with the King's Royal Rifles in Arras Albert's parents informed the army of his real age and he was sent back home to England and discharged. In spite of his horrifying experiences on the front in Arras, Albert once again lied about his age, and possibly his name, to re-enlist, this time in the Royal Artillery, and once again sent to the front in Belgium and France where he fought until the end of the war, staying in the army till 1922.

Living to be 100 years old and settling in Dublin, Albert survived to be the last First World War Veteran living in Ireland, and is believed to be the penultimate British WW1 Veteran in the World. In recognition of his courageous service during the war Albert was awarded the Legion d'honneur by the French ambassador to Ireland, Mr Henri de Coignac in January 1999, the event was reported upon by the Jewish Chronicle as well as Irish National Papers.