Albert Gladstone Trotter (1920-1999) was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was played by Buster Merryfield.
Albert joined the Royal Navy at 17 and then spent the rest of his life recounting tales from the war. He won seven medals - although this was largely due to the fact that he had an extraordinarily unfortunate time serving on seven ships that were sunk over a period of 4 years. He was so unlucky with boats that he even 'knackers up gravy boats'. After the war Albert joined the Merchant Navy and then took up the hobby of falling down pub cellars throughout the South East.
Uncle Albert, as he was known by his two nephews, Del Boy and Rodney, joined the cast in 1985 after the death of his brother, Edward Trotter - It was claimed that the two had fallen out over a girl some time ago and not spoken since. Shortly after the funeral, Albert was abandoned by relatives he was staying with. After some resignation, Del agreed to let his Uncle stay.
Albert was famed for telling dull, aimless stories that often began with the words "During the war..." On one occasion, a frustrated Del cuts Albert off at "During th..." threatening to pour a cup of tea over his head should he complete the sentence "During the war..." Albert huffs and says "I wasn't about to say 'During the war'... Bloody little know it all..... During the 1939-1945 conflict with Germany..."
Albert had a female friend called Elsie Partridge who was often mentioned but never seen. His nephews often teased him about this as well as his ability to sink ships and, whith his bald head and big white beard, his resemblance to Captain Birdseye .
Buster Merryfield died in 1999, and so, when a new series of Fools and Horses began in 2001, the character of Uncle Albert died also. Del and Rodney, who had since become millionaires regretted having not taken him with them, but were consoled by the revelation that the 'great sailor' never actually held a British passport! In another episode the two visit the French villiage where Albert had been stationed for a time during the war only to find an entire town inhabited by bald men with white beards who all bore more than a passing resemblance to their late Uncle.
