In early 1918 an appeal was made to the Grand Fleet for volunteers for 'a hazardous' special operation. The preference was for single men as there was a strong chance they might not return from this mission. A total of 365 men 27 officers volunteered, and Lt Arthur Chamberlain led 50 of them from HMS Neptune including Albert McKenzie, and William Childs who was to help carry the wounded Albert back from the Mole to HMS Vindictive.

Albert's part in the Raid on Zeebrugge

Vindictive arrived alongside the Mole at one minute past midnight on the 23rd April 1918 - St George’s Day.

The storming party’s first objective was to silence the guns mounted on the end of the Mole covering the entrance to the harbour. Having done this they were to hold their position causing as much damage and diversion as they could until the block-ships were safely in position at the mouth of the canal.

The raiding party soon discovered that ten of the Vindictive’s twelve specially built gang planks had been smashed by gun fire or by crashing into the side of the Mole and to add to the confusion only one officer Lt Cdr Adams, was left to lead the attack.

Adams seeing that half his men had been killed or wounded on board the Vindictive quickly gathered together as many survivors as he could and led them across one of the two remaining gang planks.

Adams was the first man onto the Mole and his hastily assembled team included Albert McKenzie and Able Seaman Childs the two surviving members of their Lewis gun crew. Despite having to carrying two men’s equipment - a Lewis gun plus 400 rounds of ammunition, Albert followed Adams across the gangplank and onto the Mole.

Adams with Albert McKenzie at his side led his party down the path which ran along the top of the parapet wall. Albert opened fire on German soldiers escaping from their living quarters to the safety of a destroyer moored on the far side of the Mole.

Albert joined in the attack and opened fire on the German positions spraying the German positions with machine gun fire. After a short while a German round hit his Lewis gun, blowing it out of his hands. He threw the now useless gun and its remaining ammunition into the sea and took out his revolver. He shot several more German defenders before being wounded himself in the right foot and in the back.

The assault team heard the Morse code ‘K’ sign sounding on the Daffodil’s siren, indicating that the block ships were in position. The signal should have been given by the Vindictive but German shell fire had destroyed much of her superstructure, including her siren and much of her forward funnel. Lt-Cdr Adams ordered his surviving men back to the Vindictive and where possible they brought the wounded back with them. Able Seaman Childs helped the badly wounded Albert McKenzie back across the gangplank and down into the sick bay.

Albert was aboard HMS Vindictive for the Raid and immediately afterwards he was assigned 'for pay and rations' to the shore establishment known as HMS Pembroke 1. He remained on this list until his death on 3 November 1918 when he was officially recorded as DD (Discharged Dead).

After the Raid various photographs show Albert with a cap ribbon (tally band) with the name 'HMS Vindictive', but this has been inserted by hand as he was officially assigned to HMS Pembroke.