Albert Joseph Kempster came to JerseyChannel Islands in the early 1890s. He was attached to the Northampton Regiment at the time and married a Breton, Eleanor Grosvalet in 1898 not long before being sent to South Africa where war had broken out and from where he was later invalided home with enteric fever. In 1900 he was appointed to the permanent staff of the Royal Jersey Militia.[3]
They had twelve children: John, Cecil, Jim, Arthur, Robert, Phyllis, Doris, Charlotte, Louis, George, Joan, Yvonne.
He possessed an exceedingly good voice singing opera and operetta. He was an amateur boxer, gymnast and swordsman boxing for the British army in front of the Prince of Wales and the German Kaiser. He was awarded for bravery with the Albert Medal when at great risk to himself he stopped a runaway horse and carriage.[dubious – discuss]