Because of his baking background, Albert enlisted into the Army Catering Corps in Preston, Lancashire, on 5th June 1941 as a Group B, Class II cook. He was attached to the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) as a Private. By then, his son, Richard, was nearly 6 months old. Richard had been born in the cellar of Albert's family home during an air-raid.

On July 29th he started attending the School of Cookery at Aldershot, Hampshire, where he qualified as a Class I non-tradesman cook on 9th September.

On 21st September he was granted a permanent attachment to A Company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, the 1st Parachute Brigade, and by the end of the year, Albert had been promoted to Corporal.